How ‘digital distress’ affects mental health

Mental Health Week, which runs from May 1 to 7, provides an opportunity to reflect on our collective well-being. In addition to climbing mental health issuesthere seems to be a general TIRE of generally good individuals in society. It shows mental and physical fatigue, limited patience, lack of interest in work and an anger towards the stressors in our lives.

Many of these stressors may come from interactions with technology: small but frequent failures that are easily eliminated, but when added up can become micro-aggressive technology-triggers in digital miserydefined here as a form of psychological distress due to an unusable user experience of the technology.

Tech-triggers are widespread, but seem harmless because we have learned to click them or compartmentalize their effects. No one will do anything about them until we recognize their harm, and that it is a problem. Here are the three main types of tech-triggers and their corresponding effects to consider if they affect you.

Pop-ups and prompts — I’m lost!

Pop-ups are designed to distract and draw our attention through notifications, calendar reminders, software updates, website ads, low battery alerts and more. Constant interruptions put us on high alert like a jack-in-the-box, which triggers the release of adrenaline, norepinephrine and cortisol. These chemicals are designed to make us alert and ready to defend ourselves when we are under threat; but when we are not in actual danger, they just make us feel like we are on edge.

The prompts for our username and password will be the most important. With so many people having login details for so many websites, it can be challenging to keep track of them all. And often, trying to log into one of your accounts can feel like a brutal regime of trial and error, sifting through your memory for funny passwords and unforgettable ones. username.

Keeping those things in our heads is against our way memory works, and again and again, failed attempts create the same psychological state of being lost. The state of birth psychologically lost includes feeling isolated, uncertain and confused.

With so many pop-ups and prompts, we become constant fight or flight mode. No wonder they make us feel lost and hopping.

Digital clutter — I failed!

Digital clutter creates a slow burn of deep knowledge with too much management, and we fail it. Unclear email queuescluttered digital folders and our inability to complete tech-tasks (like printing photos or deleting old drafts) can create psychological state of failure. Organizing and decluttering is our way of feeling in control, but sometimes there is too much to manage. May feel defeated.

So, so can the infinite scroll feature on social media apps. Long sessions of scrolling, swiping and tapping make our brains check and send neurochemical signals. demotion and failure.

This can be a combination of increased cortisol and decreased dopamine, which creates a biophysical experience of feeling stressed and bored at the same time.

This can be amplified by the frequent failure experienced by other tech-triggers, such as maim software updates and constantly newer versions of tech, just different enough to make you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing.

This constant state of upgrading is at odds with the way we learn. The people are driven by growth: We like to learn and get better at tasks, not feeling suddenly stupid and slow. With too much sorting and more on the way, our system is often triggered by failure. No wonder we were overwhelmed.

Cyber ​​insecurity — I’m scared!

The third tech-trigger is due to concerns about our cyber-security and how safe our digital information is Granted is the. Although online shopping and banking seems safe, there is a suspicion that our credit card and financial information is not as protected as we say. We manage this fear in a few clicks, or maybe in one purchases that restore our sense of control.

Terrorism management theory suggests that societies gain comfort through abstinence. Is it possible for people to click “allow all” on cookie notifications to make them feel better? If so, the same theory explains how it can also cause anxiety and depression. With so much at stake, our system is always triggered to feel unsafe, and it’s no wonder our brain warns us to stay alert.

What can we do about it?

The effects of these tech-triggers mean we often feel lost, crazy and scared. The question is: what can we do about it? Many of these interactions are embedded in our work and lifestyle and yet, our bodies and minds tell us that this is not right.

Digital distress can be our body’s way of warning us that something needs to change. If so, awareness is a start, and can help us better manage the situation and control our responses. Here are some things you can try:

• Take the time to review your settings for pop-up blockers, cookies, authorized data access and notifications. Turn it off (or better yet, set a time to turn off your devices) and see if you feel calmer.

• Schedule time to sort through the digital clutter before it becomes overwhelming (or better yet, think about what you want to receive or keep first). If you don’t deal with it now, you will have to deal with it later with more stress.

• Stay alert for tech-triggers in the workplace and challenge them when they first arise. Some so-called solutions are problematic, such as logging into the same account repeatedly throughout the day or having to go through multiple authentication steps. Employers may reconsider tactics when an employee’s mental health is on the line.

We can also make small changes that make us less dependent on technology, such as restoring wall clocks so we can see the time without a screen; mark paper schedules to avoid being emailed through our digital calendar; and change our settings on apps and devices to have more control over our digital experience.

Small, nimble resistances can increase our self-efficacy in a way that reduces our digital distress and makes us feel more empowered in our mental health.

Brittany Harker MartinAssociate Professor, Leadership, Policy & Governance, University of Calgary

This article was reprinted from The Conversation under Creative Commons license. Read the original article.



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