Eight simple ways to help you keep tech, workplace stress at bay

This is the age of Netflix, YouTube, Facebook and a host of other social media platforms for shopping, networking or entertainment. And, facilitating this viewership is a host of gadgets, which for many are not luxuries but necessities. These gadgets have rapidly entered the category of addictions due to the dependency of modern day workplaces on technology. This has led to a situation where office workers are spending six hours a day in front of a screen. Apparently, Indians spend three hours a day on smart phones.

Modern-day offices employ technology for work which adds to stress and our workplace is also the space where an individual is under high emotional stress.

So, what makes technology addictive? Addiction is a biopsychosocial disorder, which means it is a combination of genetics and neurobiology that react with psychological and social factors. To understand it in simpler terms, consider what happens when a person publishes a thought on Facebook. Say the responses to the thought are ten likes and five agreeable comments. With every notification, the person finds a reason to smile as he or she feels accepted and acknowledged. This joy is even more when a person posts a photograph that receives such validation. With every notification, there is an increasing feeling of happiness, acknowledgement and satisfaction. Also, all of these events are almost instantaneous. This is because with every notification, dopamine is released in the body. Dopamine is the feel good hormone. It is the same chemical which is released when one smokes, drinks or takes drugs. 

The instantaneous satisfaction which one achieves through the use of modern day technology — the need for success through validation or the fear of failure which keeps one attached to the screens — all of this is contributing to an interaction of genetics and neurobiology in an intensely competitive and professional psychological environment. With machines replacing humans as social points of interaction, there is instant impatience or anxiety if the computer is running slow.  

Dismissing technology is not the answer to these challenges. However, at Poddar Wellness, we share many measures that can be implemented at an individual and an organisational level to reduce our dependence on technology. They are:

• Have dedicated time to answer emails and complete correspondences. 

• Don't miss breaks. Instead, take smaller but more number of breaks. These breaks do not mean checking your mobile phones, but drifting away from all screens technology. Implement a "no phone" rule while having meals. 

• Increase physical activity as it reduces stress hormones. Avoid playing games online and get yourself enrolled in some indoor or outdoor sports. 

• Use offline media to communicate with people. Walk to your colleague's desk rather than calling or messaging. 

• Get enough rest and sleep. Follow sleep hygiene. Take out some time for meditation. 

• Have a tech-free day once a week and limit social media activity. 

• Keep yourself hydrated and on a light healthy diet.  

• Last but not the least, focus on interacting with humans and nature.

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Prakriti Poddar is Managing Trustee of Poddar Foundation and Director of Poddar Wellness, Mumbai