Why living in aeroplane mode is the key to a blissful life, especially for those affected by trauma

I grew up in the 80s, a time when things were far simpler than they are today, and a time when only wealthy people had mobile phones, and pagers were all the rage – along with candy cigarettes. In the world of 2022 pagers are viewed as antiquated, and I’m assuming Gen Z (or Zoomers as the cool kids say) will not even know what such an archaic piece of technology is.

As we zoom from one thing to another, and then zoom to a Zoom meeting, that could have been an e-mail . Our precious handheld device ping with notifications and instant messages that demand instant attention; is it any wonder that we can’t think straight, or get anything done?

The frenetic nature of the modern world is getting more and more demanding and complex to those who want a life that is uncomplicated, and just works like it’s supposed to. I recently spoke about emotional intelligence (the awareness of our own emotional state) which is not widely spoken about, yet I believe it to be one of the things that needs addressing to deal with the rise in mental health issues that are rife, and quickly swept under the carpet, and never dealt with.

If you’ve been affected by trauma, and scarred by PTSD, which has left you in a hypervigilant state, where your body is on constant alert; notifications and instant grabs for your attention are even more of a disturbance than they are to most. I’ve barred all unknown numbers on my phone because otherwise I’d be under harassment of cold callers, seeking to make a quick buck.

It's trendy to be trending on social media and all that, but what’s even trendier is health and happiness, with no mental health worries. The underpinning factor for the modern man/woman/person – even pronouns are an issue – is stress. The best coping mechanism I've found is to switch it off, the thigs that cause the stress, and anxiety.

I spent the weekend reading a book called: The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller. It's a great book and really opened my eyes as to why I myself feel stuck and frustrated that I’m not being more productive in my business, and what the gremlins holding me back are; namely distractions, and not prioritising properly. Find your One Thing and block out time to do it, where nothing else gets a look in.

Gary doesn’t say to put your phone on aeroplane mode, but it makes sense to. I put my phone in AM when I’m at the gym, because I’m at the gym, and that’s my One Thing. Putting your phone in AM also saves battery life.

The survival strategy advice for modern life should be to get rid of as many distractions as possible, so you can focus on doing what’s important to you – that’s how you get ahead, create success, and go to bed at night knowing you have accomplished something meaningful.