Dodging the Digital Bullet

Ruwandi Perera is a click away from minimising stress from the pandemic

Stress has always been around; and with the pandemic claiming nearly a year and a half of our lives, stress levels are skyrocketing. To add to all the tension, digital technologies – yes, the ones we take refuge in now that we’re isolated from society – are causing more stress than we are capable of handling.

COVID-19 has resulted in many semipermanent changes in our lives – working from home, enforced isolation, zoom meetings, travel restrictions and wearing masks among others.

While these are necessary evils or virtues, there is a significant change that has been cemented by the pandemic.

The drive to digitalisation was brewing for many years and it accelerated after the advent of SARS-Cov-2. Despite digitalisation being a much anticipated development for the better, our increased dependency on the internet, smartphones, laptops and other connected devices is taking a toll on us.

Digital stress is inevitable; it can have mental, physical, emotional and social implications. In simple terms, digital stress is the negativity resulting from unhealthy interactions with digital technologies. These can be as innocent as reading emails, text messages, WhatsApp notifications, social media posts and even PowerPoint presentations.

While these technologies make our lives better, they can also harm us when misused. It may be the compulsion to reply your emails in minutes or having to scroll through your newsfeed every hour so that you don’t miss out on anything.

Sometimes, digital stress can result from bad physical habits such as placing your laptop inches away from your eyes or eating lunch while working. It doesn’t matter why you do it; because at the end of the day, all these malpractices result in severe implications with lasting effects.

Studies have uncovered the relationship between increased phone usage and depression, anxiety and the resulting feeling of being isolated from society. This is a paradoxical phenomenon because most of us use our smartphones to stay connected with the rest of the world.

So how does technology cause us stress?

Some of the main reasons for digital stress can be due to constant distractions because of persistent beeps, vibrations and flashes of notifications; the fear of missing out (FOMO) – whether it’s work or your network of friends; and technology accessibility issues such as poor internet connectivity.

A 2016 study by Ericsson measured single uploading or downloading delays to raise our heartbeat by 38 percent – that’s the same increase we experience when watching a horror movie!

Smart devices have flooded the market. At the beginning of the year, Sri Lanka had 31.8 million mobile connections – an increase of 2.2 million in 12 months! We have over 10.1 million internet users with more than 6.4 million using social media. There’s no stopping the accelerated adoption of technology and probability of digital stress… but there are ways to soften the blow.

Proper allocation of time for specific tasks such as checking emails, attending meetings, reading reports and drafting documents is very effective not only to mitigate stress but also improve productivity. While it can be tempting to ignore emails for a few hours or opt not to answer some calls, setting a schedule and communicating it to coworkers can reduce stress all round.

Working offline to excel online is a trending behaviour among those who want to fight stress.

How many of us can relate to a situation where actual work is delayed, postponed or left unattended since there are too many emails to respond to? Having at least an hour or two to work offline where you are not essentially connected to the rest of the world is a proactive way to enhance your efficiency and reduce stress.

Logging out from work at a particular time is vital. Have a strict curfew: stop work and do something else – such as watching a movie, reading or enjoying a drink. It’s necessary to detoxify at the end of a day.

With your brain being otherwise occupied, you’ll be more rested and better equipped for idea generation when you start working. If you think you’re up to it, try to stay device free for a day over the weekend. It’s harder than it sounds but you’ll reap more benefits.

Last but not least, sufficient sleep is critical. This means staying away from your phone or the TV for at least 30 minutes before going to bed at night. Technology affects sleep patterns and can impact your immune system. So avoiding that final scroll or one last episode can boost your energy levels for the next day.