The Impact of Stress on Social Wellness
Today we are looking at the importance of social wellness, re-engaging with those around you and creating boundaries. Humans are designed to be social creatures, however, the constant contact from online platforms such as email and social media can leave us feeling drained and distant. It’s important to take the time to re-engage and be present when spending valuable time with family members and friends.
Don’t be a Slave to Technology – Dealing with Tech Stress
With the growing pressures of modern technology, few of us are ever really ‘switched off’ or inaccessible, and this is another major reason for tech stress: if we don’t switch off, we don’t have much needed time for rest and recovery. Always remember that technology is there to serve you, so if you’re feeling overwhelmed, try these methods of dealing with tech stress:
- Disconnecting from work – Avoid answering emails or work calls outside of work hours unless it’s urgent. Make sure that you give yourself time to switch off and unwind. An example of this is to mute work channels between 10pm to 8am each day, ensuring that you are undisturbed when out of the office.
- Have the important conversations in person – As you are probably aware, tone is notoriously difficult to detect in email, instant messages or text messaging. This can lead to misunderstandings, hurt feelings or confusion. If you need to have important conversations, try to have these face to face rather than over the phone.
- Don’t feel under pressure to have it all – Technology is constantly changing and evolving. For some of us, this can be another major cause of tech-stress as we feel compelled to keep up with the changes in technology. It is important to realise that it is not essential to have and know it all. Although it is tempting to purchase the latest smartphone, tablet or computer, or set up every social medial account in existence, remember that technology is there to enhance your life and not detract from it.
- Go on a digital detox – Most people spend their day to day life in front of a computer, connect to the internet or in some way engaged with our smartphone; however; this can lead to us feeling disconnected from our surroundings and the people in our lives. This ‘disengagement’ as a result of tech-stress can also lead us to miss out on the joyful experiences of daily life, such as real conversations with people around us and taking in the pleasures of our surroundings. Make sure that you set some time aside without any technology and focus on living in the real world. When on holiday, avoid or limit checking messages and your emails, so you have a true break.
Learn to Say ‘No’
‘Yes-stress’ is caused by agreeing to do something that at that particular time, you don’t have the capacity for. For example, someone else’s task may have been delegated to you, which causes your stress levels to spike. Saying no does not mean that you are being selfish, it can allow you to pursue new things and is sometimes the healthiest answer. Make sure that you focus on the things that are important to you and remove guilt from the equation. If you’re struggling to decide whether to say no to something, sleep on it and revaluate your answer in the morning once you’ve had a chance to decide.
It can be difficult to learn to say no to people. It’s harder to say no than yes, but where a no is an appropriate response, it’s important to learn to say it.
Here’s some things to keep in mind when saying no:
Say no with confidence – No is a powerful word so use it with confidence and without fear.
Say no with brevity – Be clear regarding your reason for refusing the request. Avoid elaborate discussions and explanations
Saying no with honesty – Don’t make up excuses to get out of commitments. Being truthful is the best way to turn someone down.
Saying no respectfully – You may have important or good causes that are put in front of you and sometimes it’s tough to turn them down. Acknowledging and complementing the efforts of the group while informing them that you are unable to commit at this time will show when you respect their endeavours.
Saying no repeatedly – You may find that you have to repeat yourself several times before it is accepted by another. If you do experience this, just calmly and firmly repeat your response and if necessary, you can reaffirm your reasons of why you declined.
If you missed our previous articles about Mental, Emotional and Physical Wellbeing, follow the links below.
