With the growing pressures of modern technology, few of us ever really ‘switch off’.
Everywhere you look, someone is on a mobile device, some checking their work emails. The problem that we face is that we are constantly connected. Just because we physically leave the workplace this doesn’t mean we leave our workload, demand and pressure behind nor does it mean that we divert our mind from work.
Many people will get home and the first thing they do is go to check is their work emails, to see if anything urgent has come up.
We don’t give ourselves time to disconnect from the real world, and this is making us feel stressed and overwhelmed.
It isn’t only at home that we are experiencing the stress of technology. At work many people feel bombarded by the number of emails they receive each day. The obligation people feel to respond quickly means they leave the task they are currently working and divert their attention to something that may not be of importance. Multitasking in itself is stressful and decreases productivity levels. On top of this we are looking at the demands from somebody else and leaving our own work.
People are sending emails to people across the office from them because they feel too ‘busy’ to take a short break from work. We are losing our touch with reality and even meeting up less in person. The majority of conversations in the modern day happen over email, instant messaging or over the phone as it is easier to just send a ‘quick message’ then go and physically meet up with someone.
Why are we letting technology control us?
People are feeling more and more anxious when they are without their mobile phone as it takes away the sense of security they feel when they are accessible to other people. This in turn creates a distance between them and their loved ones and they can often feel a sense of loneliness or isolation.
Although people seemed to manage fine before the invention of mobile phones, people have now become psychologically attached to their phones and fear they may miss something of urgency without it. So much so it can now be seen as one of the causes of stress in modern day life.
