Are Airpods Our New Ears?

Does anybody else feel like AirPods are soon going to morph into our biological makeup?

I see them everywhere.  I wonder if at a certain point, people just forget they are on.

This concept of always listening to something dives into the bigger issue of always being connected. When we are wearing headphones, we aren’t attuned to the world around us. We aren’t present. And sure, sometimes it’s nice to have that distraction for periods of time - such as listening to music while working, taking a phone call, or listening to a podcast while commuting home - but when it becomes a fixture of our ear, that’s where I draw the line.

Being present means all of our senses are present. We are fully engaged, which includes listening. If we are always listening to one thing while experiencing another thing in front of us, our attention is always divided and sporadic.

I used to wear headphones and listen to audio books or podcasts while cleaning up the house, taking walks, or commuting. Now I rarely do. I force myself to be present most of the time. To stop multitasking and focus on my surroundings. I’ve found that with this small change, my mind feels less overwhelmed and I don’t miss the distraction.  I feel less anxious and have overall better focus when I do need to hone in on specific tasks.  

Try it out yourself.  

Take a break…from your headphones.