Ways to Reduce Digital Stress

The role of technological advancements in people’s lives has grown to be more pivotal than it has ever been before. With the use of modern-day devices, you can already communicate with your loved ones, purchase your favorite shirt on virtual shops, submit your outputs to your professor or boss, and stream your favorite TV series in an instant–all of it can be done in just a few clicks and taps. Especially since the incidence of an alarming global health crisis like the COVID-19 outbreak, movement restrictions have been imposed worldwide which compelled individuals to leverage the online space as a conducive extension of the real world. This consequently increased the level of reliance that humans have on their respective gadgets.

And now that every single process is being digitized slowly but surely, the emerging issue of digital stress has moved a large portion of the concerned public to instigate a call to action from professionals. This condition is characterized by a surge of overwhelming feelings caused by excessive notifications and societal expectations imposed on virtual platforms. Derived from using information communication technology, this poses a threat to the emotional, social, and cognitive well-being of an individual if not mitigated.

Particularly, this condition is reflected by various changes in a person’s behavior. One of which is the isolation of the individual from his/her loved ones and the people who are proximally near him/her due to the shift of his/her focus from building rapport with them through the conduct of social activities to being inclined on various media platforms online. Also, there is a developed fear of missing out (FOMO) which drives him/her to find all means possible just to be informed about what the rest of the pack is up to. If not prevented, digital stress can be a turning point for depression and other physiological symptoms that can bring one’s immune system down.

Relevantly, there are ways to combat the phenomenon of digital stress on a person. Here are five ways how you can reduce the hazardous effect brought by the crawling obsession with the use of technological devices:

1. Impose your availability limit on digital space

Especially if working under a remote setup, asserting your boundaries of accepting work can be one of the most effective ways to reduce digital stress. Studies have shown that excessive accessibility for work purposes has been one of the major factors that put an individual in a compromising position–a lack of rigid boundaries in the virtual space can lead you to be more indulged in surfing the web which may cause you to be more vulnerable to any form of negative energy that is resonated by specific contents and sites that you may stumble upon. 

If unavoidable, practice turning your devices off after checking your inboxes outside working hours to save yourself from unnecessary stress and protect your sanity.

2. Engage yourself more in in-person conversations

Since the use of technological advancement itself inevitably causes digital stress to people, one way to avoid the phenomenon of such is through self-regulation. Particularly, you may consider detaching yourself from the online world the moment that you see yourself going back and forth through the same sites for several minutes already. By unwinding yourself from all the types of content that you consume from the virtual space, you can save yourself from being negatively affected by stressors that you may find on media platforms. 

Albeit the COVID-19 outbreak imposing movement restrictions that prohibit full-blown face-to-face interactions with anyone outside from happening, you can still choose to spend more time interacting with your loved ones that live with you under the same roof and get to know them on a more personal level.

3. If needed, make a digital detox

If the use of social networking sites, for instance, is becoming more of a burden to you instead of a pleasure, you may consider deactivating your accounts for some time and reconnecting with the real world. If you must still be reached for certain concerns, leave your mobile number open for those who need to contact you. After all, it is not your responsibility to anyone else to always stay present on the four corners of the internet–your life does not and should not revolve around the web in the first place.

4. Indulge in physical activities that improve mental fortitude

Since you cannot isolate yourself from the online world completely, another way to reduce the probable digital stress that may affect you from using technological advancements is to focus on improving your cognitive strength. Various physical activities such as working out, playing mind sports, and journaling can aid you in developing a sharper mind that is quintessentially important every time you engage yourself with any type of content in the virtual space. In this way, you can get a hand over the situation and you may avoid the risk of being vulnerable to the stressors that you may find online. 

5. Uncover new hobbies

Although most people rely on technological advancements for important purposes such as academic, work, and communication functions, most individuals make use of the internet and their respective gadgets to kill time and alleviate their boredom. If this is your case, you may consider finding new interests that can hone your creativity or charisma skills. It may be difficult to find a passion, especially if you have completely no idea what your strengths are and weaknesses but deciding to go is a major step towards self-improvement. 

In turn, once you can find a new hobby and turn it into a passion, you can leverage that by monetizing it. And in the light of using digital space, you can expose your output to the rest of the world by posting the same on your social networking sites. In this way, you can make technology work for you instead of the other way around. 

Digital space is one that you cannot shut down anymore–it is slowly being an integral part of the real world. Over the years, chances are more life processes are to be digitized for the convenience of all. Nevertheless, just because it plays a significant part in your daily life doesn’t mean that it should be the center of your existence. Remember, before technology, you are a human immersed in this earthly place–keep grounded on that fact and never lose your pragmatic foothold toward reality.

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