When Tech = Stress and When to Scale Back

There is one thing in this world you simply can’t get away from and that is stress. Regardless if you have a long commute to work or make a living from a home office, life is full of situations that may increase your anxiety. The good news is you can find numerous high-tech devices to help make your day better. However, having too many of these can cause additional stress if you aren’t savvy and smart with the technology. Knowing some of the reasons this can occur and realizing when it’s time to cut back on technology is beneficial to anyone wanting a life of low stress.

Communicating too frequently

Do you feel many of your waking moments are spent checking emails and text messages? If so, you’re not alone. Millions of people jump out of bed and get online to see what may be waiting in their inbox.

It’s easier than ever to keep track of others because of the Internet and social media. However, spending too much time talking to people online rather than in person may create a significant amount of unnecessary stress.

If you answer yes to any of the questions below, you may need to start to scale back on paying too much attention to technology:

1.    Are you so busy checking texts or emails that you ignore your family?

2.    Do you think it’s more important to post on social media than it is to relax?

3.    Are you continually looking for tweets or updates rather than getting your work done?

4.    Do you usually avoid doing your job because you’d prefer to be looking online?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may need to reduce your Internet usage.

Less quality sleep

You may feel overwhelmed throughout the day when trying to accomplish things that you simply stay online too much at night. This could interfere with your sleep, especially if you are looking at devices up until the time you try to fall asleep.

It’s critical to your health to get the rest your body craves on a nightly basis. Failure to do this could quickly result in unwanted health concerns. Consider powering down a few hours before bedtime each night and relax with a book, time with your family, or a relaxing bath.

More isolation

We may feel more connected when we talk to multiple online, but if it’s impacting the number of people we see in person, it actually leads to a greater sense of isolation. There’s something much different about meeting a friend for lunch or a long in-person chat than shooting them a text or chatting with them on instant messenger. Though there’s nothing wrong with keeping up with faraway friends through technology, make sure you’re still making it a priority to have personal interaction on a regular basis.

Fighting addiction

There are times when it is vital to turn everything off and focus on yourself. While this may seem selfish, it’s not, and you may feel less anxious from doing this one thing.

It can be hard to separate your physical self from technology and relax. However, the health benefits of doing this each day allow you to enjoy a higher quality of life. Consider setting a time limit for yourself when it comes to non-work related technology. Check your email only once per night and put your phone out of reach at a certain time each night. While these small steps may seem difficult at first, they will become easier and you’ll find the benefits are well worth it.

Reliance on technology has become a worldwide epidemic. While technology can certainly make work easier and enable you to communicate with more people, it can also take away your joy of the moment and increase isolation. Make sure you know when enough is enough when it comes to technology and you’ll notice your stress levels dramatically decreasing.