It’s Time To Unplug
Balance is such an important aspect to our health yet many of us become unbalanced due to work, technology and the combination of these.
Mobile phones give us the ability to always be ‘plugged in’ to the socials, to work and to other people, no matter the time of day.
The effect of always being ‘plugged in’ has led to many negative health effects.
The psychological effects of the technology overuse have resulted in people becoming more socially isolated and suffering from higher levels of depression and anxiety.
The physical effects of excessive technology use include eye strain, poor posture, reduction in physical activity and sleep problems.
Work is something that many of us need to do to pay the bills.
Work is also good for our sense of self, health and well-being.
When we work too hard or don’t allow ourselves a break, many physical and psychological health problems can also occur.
So when a crossover happens between work and the ‘rest and play’ part of our lives with the aid of technology, these psychological and physical health problems can be exacerbated.
The Victorian police have just won the right to ‘switch off’ from work and not be contacted outside of work hours.
This is a big win for workers’ well-being and puts the spotlight onto what is acceptable for the employer/employee communication relationship.
So being contacted by your employer outside of work hours is really not on.
There will be times it is a necessity but it should be the exception rather than the rule.
So what can you do if this is a problem for you?
You could try to have an open talk with your employer about what is an appropriate level of outside of work communication (okay, this could be a hard one), talk with your union and/or other employees.
Otherwise, do as I do and put your mobile down (for me, temporarily lose it!), be ‘uncontactable’, use the ‘Do Not Disturb’ function and allow yourself the other 16 hours of the day to rest and enjoy what life should be.