Technostress, new issue in our lives
View(s):The word ‘stress’ is so commonly used in our vocabulary that it sometimes takes away the seriousness of this number one killer in the organisational world. Over the past many years, we as a society have been educated on stress, its predictors, its symptoms, its consequences repeatedly by many sources. One of the favoured definitions of stress is that it is a response to when demands exceed our capacities. We have learnt to attribute the cause to workload and burnout in the office, academic pressure, family pressures, health challenges, financial difficulties, interpersonal conflict, and so on. When our workload at work is more than we can handle, when the performance expectation is higher than what you are capable of, stress occurs.
What we have failed, however, to account for is a direct cause of stress that we figuratively and literally hold close to ourselves for the better part of the day. I am referring of course to the source that is technology, be it a smart phone, a tablet, or a computer – the source of what is now referred to as technostress.
The role of technology in our personal and professional lives is significant. A true testimony to how much we depend on technology would be the distress, dysfunction, and frustration that occur during a power shortage, or in the absence of an Internet connection. Most of us are guilty of being plugged into technology for the larger part of our waking hours as our smart phones allow us to instantly access and reply to emails, to messages, and to browse the world of information. What this has created is a strain on our brains, in our ability to respond to and interact with all this information and stimulation. When demand exceeds capacity, when the number of unread emails, emails yet to be replied to and messages start to a accumulate, and in the moment when we realise we don’t simply have the time to respond to it all, our brains shift to chronic stress mode.
Manifests in different ways
More interestingly, technostress also presents itself in different ways. In addition to manifesting when we are overloaded with demand, technostress also occurs when an individual feels less overloaded and stimulated. Studies have found that receiving less emails, calls and messages leads to individuals feeling less important and validated, which in turn leads to feelings of depression and anxiety. The absence of stress itself is interpreted as stressful, in this era of technology. Also consider that the routine of a constant pour-in of texts, emails, calls, and stimulation has rewired our brains to constantly expect regular stimulation to function – this need for constant stimulation mimics symptoms of attention-deficit disorder, further adding context to how technology is impacting our mental wellbeing.
But what is the solution? The demands of work and the lifestyles we have weaved for ourselves do not allow for us to completely detach from technology. And if we are being completely honest, this total detox from technology may not be something we want. After all, for some of us, it is the only way we are able to unwind, entertain, and relax after a long day of work as well. The answer to this question is identical to how we are asked to manage our diet and food intake – moderation. Conscious management of what we intake, how much we intake and when, are all important. By doing so, we can ensure that the demand placed on our brain to respond doesn’t exceed, therein preventing chronic inflammation, internal wear and tear, accumulation of toxic chemicals, and an excessive release of stress hormones.
Managing technostress
Different individuals have had different strategies of managing technostress. For some it is the usefulness of defining a number of times when they check their inboxes, rather than constantly being on alert to the influx of messages through the day. Others have recommended standardizing the time (say, 30 minutes spent on Internet), not the number of visits that one spends interacting with technology. Another recommendation has been to balance this intake – different types of stimulation, news, social media for relaxation, music, reading an article for knowledge. Organisations can support their employees by offering, coaching and training to identify their stress triggers and in copying with demands better, employee wellness programmes that not only looks at the holistic health of the person but also the all-encompassing and consuming nature of stress itself that can affect a person in all their functional areas.
One thing is certain, similar to diet plans, one size does not fit all. Your method of establishing boundaries with technology and managing technostress will be different to mine. The key here is to be conscious and take ownership of how your technology habits are creating stress and influencing you, and taking the step to find the way that works for you to manage it. Perhaps it is not that simple in a world that is dominated by technology. Like the food we eat, technology is now an absolute essential for living. But hang on! We still have the power to disconnect, the choice to unplug, the option of managing what we consume. Food is a great analogy for technology when it comes to managing it. Think about it!
(The writer is a Business Psychologist, the Founder of Forté Consultancy and the author of ‘From Crisis to Character and a co-author of ‘Rockstars-Creating Stellar Performers in Organiations’. She can be contacted on rozaine@forte.lk)