In this modern, over-connected world, stress comes from everywhere – even technology. How do you deal with it?
> My friend called to complain about the paper cut on her finger – annoying because it’s the one she uses to type on her laptop and send text messages.
> My son (16) didn’t want to go on an amazing trip to Guatamala with 40 other teens because it meant leaving his cell phone behind – no communication with his girlfriend for 2 weeks!
> Last week in yoga class my teacher was saying to us, “trash your old programs!” and “watch those mental pop-ups!”
> In the meantime, I’m crafting wickedly funny 140 character twitter posts (“tweets”) while in headstand – like this one: “Single mother crashes on her fanny in class with a loud bang. No one laughed.“
Have we all gone techno-crazy?
I admit to having a real love-hate relationship with technology. It started in the early ’80s when I left behind my career as a “Go-for-the-Burn” aerobics instructor (remember Jane Fonda in spandex?) and went back to school to work in the new field of high-tech learning to program (in COBOL) on IBM mainframes.
I was an awful programmer so fortunately my first ‘real’ job was as the PC admin for the San Francisco company, Esprit. Now back in the early ’80s, there was no such thing as a ‘network’, and therefore, no way to connect PCs. So EVERY morning I walked around to all the 200 PCs with a big floppy disk and uploaded a fresh copy of the customer database. And this was considered ‘bleeding-edge’ technology!
It was when I got my own 286-AT, with 256K RAM- one of the fastest IBM PCs in 1985 – that my interest in technology really took off. And though I can’t remember what I used that machine for, I know the feeling was oh-so-cool!
It’s been 25 years working on and playing with technology, and during that time I’ve been giddy, frustrated, amused, befuddled, in pain, angry, scared, over-whelmed & under-whelmed with it all. (Sounds like a relationship to me!)
What about you?
- Do you open emails first thing on a sunny Sunday morning?
- Do you craft tweets in your head while brushing your teeth?
- Would you wait gleefully in a long line for the latest iphone?
(My answers: 1. yes; 2. sadly, often; 3. no, but my son would!)
seattlepi.com 4/09
What can you do?
There is good news. You can help yourself and take action to alleviate your stress symptoms. The first step is Awareness.
The truth is, stress comes from more than one source, so taking time to inventory what’s going on in our lives through any medium – even technology – can help clarify areas of stress. Is your stress work-related? Financial? How are your relationships affecting your life? Family? Friends? Do you have a balance between work and play?
Once you find a bit of Acceptance around what’s showing up as the stressors in your life, you begin to make considered choices around what you eat, how much you sleep, who you share your life with, the work you do, AND how much technology you might do TODAY.
Here’s my final 140 character ‘tweet’ about this post, “Tired Yogini takes a break from technology and walks in the rain. Will she survive?” Follow me on twitter…
NEXT Stress To Success Program
Unplug to Plug-in
Stress Relief for Technology Overload
This program supported me to slow down and focus. Most importantly, the weekly themes & podcasts reminded me that if I want to make any significant change, then the responsibility for that is all mine. I highly recommend Soleil to facilitate unique ways to enhance group effectiveness and remind us that we are the leaders of our own life.”
– Dave Schapell, CEO TeachStreet.com
