We are going insane through multitasking

See! See! I'm not the only one saying this!!!

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=540628

Why are we all so crazed these days?" a reader asked.
Too often, the
blame is laid at the foot of the individual. We aren't good at time or stress
management, we fail to say "no" enough, we don't create work-life balance,
etc.
All true, but taken out of context. Sanity requires a degree of inner
peace, but there's little in our society that encourages or supports this state
of mind.
Our world is so complicated, frantic and intrusive that few of us
can find the personal space and life pace necessary to attain a healthy mind.
But not that long ago, this was within the reach of many.
Imagine a workday
without e-mail, the Internet, multitasking and "Do it yesterday!" expectations.

...

We don't just multitask - we multi-live, cramming as much activity and
stimulation as possible into increasingly narrow corridors of time.
Our very
short attention spans, combined with the constant bombardment of sensory
overload, leave us twitching, hyper-reactive and mentally scattered.
For most
adults, ADHD - a euphemism for consciousness on steroids - is the new normal.
Sure, some love or are addicted to hyper-stimulation but, for many, it's a
reflexive response to a crazy-making context.
Our society pushes us to live
fast and on the surface, not slow and at depth.
And that makes us
bonkers.
Philip Chard is a psychotherapist, author and trainer. Names used in
this column are changed to honor client confidentiality. Contact him by e-mail
at pschard@earthlink.net, or visit http://www.philipchard.com/.