Do you constantly feel stressed? It might having something to do with your social media habits. It’s a symptom that is unique to this generation, and it’s known as “tech stress.”
Because our phones and tablets are likely linked to our work emails, there is little to no differentiation between what we think of as work time and time off. You might feel like having access to your work email is actually a good thing for your productivity, but it’s actually causing you tech stress.
Having access to your work email (or just being available to work via cell phone) every day and any time is not just a minor annoyance. When your boss has access to you at any time, you feel compelled to respond or act one whatever they need, and it may get your boss or coworker whatever they need faster, but it’s wearing you down.
This has you in a constantly “on” status, and being “on” all the time makes you more stressed than not replying to those messages at all.
So what can you do about tech stress? The first thing seems obvious: disable work email on your phone. If you’re off the clock, you’re off the clock. Whatever it is can wait until Monday morning. Second, if you’re on vacation, set up an away message for your work email. And for your personal email at that. When your coworkers email you, they’ll get a polite reminder that you’re out on vacation and you’ll get back to them when you return to work.
Have you experienced tech stress? Are you constantly answering work emails on your time off? Let us know in the comments below.
