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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, October 3, 2013 | 14 Taking a holiday from your cellphone's ceaseless `smartness' ant to sleep better? Have more intelligent conversations with adults and more meaningful interaction with your offspring? Want to feel less alienated from society and more connected to those around you? Or take back your personal space and reclaim your sanity? Of course you do. And you can. Without reading a 500-page self-help book. Without seeing W a $500-an-hour life coach. Without sacri cing much of anything. Want any or all of the above? No problem. It's simple. Ditch your cellphone. Of course, you can't permanently ditch that so-called `smart' device of beaming, blinding technology. Aside from your addiction to all its idiotic apps, and the fact your entire life is stored on this tool -- goodbye to you if you happen to drop the sucker in the toilet -- that phone has That's Life Andy Juniper Guest Contributor On Now at The Brick! For more details go instore or online @thebrick.com. become your umbilical cord to the world. And I'm not about to suggest you cut the cord and sever ties with the world. But, what if you just ditched it for just a few hours each day? What if you gave yourself a holiday from your phone's ceaseless smartness, from the idiotic apps and the endless, mindless scroll of social media? I think you'd feel better about yourself and way better about your life. Start in the car. Make your automobile a no-phone zone. Because you keep insisting on sur ng the Internet and talking and texting as you careen down country roads at high speeds. And, frankly, you're going to kill me. I cycle and walk the hound on those roads. And I can't count the times you've come at me, head down, absorbed in your device's intelligence, and nearly nailed me. Unwilling to surrender your phone in the car? How about in a restaurant? In a New York Times article, a fashion marketer talked about playing the "phone-stack game." Upon arriving at a restaurant, diners place their phones in a stack on the table and the rst to succumb to the temptation to look at their phone pays the tab. The article also addressed the issue of the smartphone taking over the home life of a user if they're not careful. One interviewee said she placed her phone in a vintage milk tin the minute she arrived home from work, and didn't touch it until after dinner. Others stashed the device in empty gold sh bowls or any other container that puts a physical barrier between you and temptation. In our house, everyone sleeps with a phone beside the bed (we use them as wake-up alarms). According to sleep experts, this is a mistake. Why? Well, the light the phone emits is detrimental to dropping into a deep sleep and the beeping, buzzing, vibrating noises it emits can prevent you from getting a rejuvenating night's rest. Then there's the entire other issue of texting while you sleep. Sadly, this is a thing. Phone addicts can't even break free of their addiction when socializing with "The Sandman." Establishing the bedroom as a no-phone zone evidently ensures better shut-eye. Establishing digital curfews (no phones after 9 p.m., for example) ensures a more relaxed home life. And who knows: once phone-less, you may wind up talking with your spouse, or communicating with your kids. And actually feeling less-stressed, more grounded, less a hostage of technology and, of course, more sane. -- Contact Andy Juniper at ajjuniper@gmail. com, or find him on Facebook or Twitter . STAY SAFE. STAY BACK. If you are beside a truck at an intersection, you are invisible to them and in potential danger. The NO GO ZONE defines a trucker's blind spot. Regardless of checking their mirrors, when making a right turn, they can't see you. J Passion E W E L and L E R Y Expressing the Power of the Sea. NO GO ZONE /// Trucks CAN NOT see you Be aware. Take care. Atlantico Collection starting at $2,750 J E W E L L E R Y SAFE ZONE /// Trucks CAN see you 38 Avenue Rd. (416) 921-9200 Toronto 321 Cornwall Rd. (905) 815-8777 Oakville J E W E L L E R Y Guelph J E W E L L E R Y 56 Wyndham St. North (519) 821-7982 80 King St. South (519)888-9200 Waterloo staysafestayback.ca For more information and tips to stay safe, visit