How To :: power down + press the proverbial 'esc' button

Brian says ::

No, I'm not talking about some pour-your-heart-out, acoustics-only special on MTV. I'm talking about that tipping point in a person's life where they're so jacked into the Matrix, it becomes difficult to tell fantasy from the real thing.

In a world filled with iPhone this and Android that, there comes a time in anyone's life where they must take stock. Of reality. Of life. There are people who swear they wouldn't survive without a GPS or Wi-Fi signal, but I ask them ::

“How do you think cavemen survived, huh?"

Am I saying that we should all revert back to the Stone Age of cholera and 30 year life spans? No. I'm merely suggesting we slow down for a moment and appreciate it, you know? We should take the time and effort to hold on to some of the most fundamental skills we own and make the world we live in even greater. Here's how ::

Write a letter. On paper.

Not an e-mail, e-card, text message or tweet. No. Write a letter to a long-distance Jack // Jill, yourself, a colleague, family member, significant other or a complete stranger. It pains me to see what the technology age has done to writing style (even to professional writers).

As Liz Lemon said, "We're Dinosaurs."

Accomplished professionals now have the penmanship of four-year-olds. Try it. Once a month, write a letter and hone your fine motor skills back to their once-pristine status. You'll be surprised how much of a boost in self-confidence it'll give you. And you can't tell me you don't love getting a real, handwritten letter in the actual mail. Give someone that gift. Choose beautiful paper, play with a fountain pen, scent it!  It's a sensory experience an e-card will never deliver.

Take a hike. Get. Out.

After a long winter for most of us – you're either pasty and pale, sick, tired or just downright crotchety. You want to know a possible reason? You've spent too much time indoors.

You, on vacay in the sun + beach = dandy,

but for most of us, it's an infrequent occurance. You don't need to take days off to get your daily dose of the outdoors. People were meant to be one with nature. Even the most die-hard Manhattanite benefits from a little fresh air. Take a walk through a nearby nature trail, eat outside every chance you get, ride a bike, host a picnic. Whatever you do, be sure to take a deep breath, feel the air, dig in a little dirt. Seriously, you can get that manicure repaired tomorrow.

Interact! With Real People. In Real Life.

Glued to your IM/text/email screen much? I know it's a busy, busy world out there. Instead of sending a “Howdie!” text to your Jack //Jill down the street, or the next office over, stop by his // her place instead. Granted, they'll be just as freaked out as you will undoubtedly be, but that's the beauty of it.

You two can support each other as you reconnect on a level that requires the 60% nonverbal communication human beings thrive on.

Greet that stranger sitting next to you on the plane, take yourself to dinner, sit at the bar and start up a conversation with the person on the next bar stool. Not only might you meet a potential bestie, or learn a little something – you'll get a whole new perspective on how others outside your "network" live.

'Cause sometimes, being unplugged is the only way to get more plugged into life.

What do you + your Jack // Jill do to 'reality check'?  

(.. and no, we don't mean what's on Bravo) 

About the author: Brian Wilder I've never agreed with the notion that men are incapable of excelling in home economics. Perhaps this is because I grew up in a house full of women? All I know is that my mother always made it a point to tell me something along the lines of, "Son? No woman is ever going to want you if you don’t know how to cook, clean, and take care of yourself!" Learn more about Brian.