Smartphones Are Stressing Us Out
Particularly While On Holiday, says new report
Holidays are supposed to be a time to switch off and get some much needed respite from the stresses back at home; however, it seems that as a nation we are finding it harder and harder to leave work and other pressures behind us when we jet off – the main culprit is our reliance on new technology and Smartphone devices.
Research by leading last minute holidays firm Latedeals.co.uk, who polled 2000 of their holidaymakers, reveals that a staggering 77% of us regularly checked work emails while on holiday this year, and 65% of us even responded to them. 81% of those who checked emails said that they had accessed them through smartphones.
The research was commissioned to coincide with National Stress Awareness Day (7th November). It also questioned people about how they felt after checking emails and whether they actually managed to ‘de-stress’ on holiday.
The results are startling, 89% of adults admitting that they never feel fully switched off and worry about what’s happening at work.
The study also found that:
- On average, Britons check their work emails for the first time 4.5 hours after arriving at their holiday destination
- We tend to reply to an average of 12 emails over a week long break – even non urgent ones
- Four in ten of us don’t turn our Smartphones off at all when abroad, even at night
- 39% bring their phones to the beach
- 22% of us check our work emails while still on the plane after landing at our destination
- Six out of ten people ignore their partner nagging at them to turn their phones off and relax
Psychologist Jane Sullivan has come up with some advice on how to effectively de-stress from work when on holiday:
1)DELEGATE RESPONSIBILITY
Going on holiday is a good opportunity to delegate and to give people the opportunity to step up. "We often want to believe that we're indispensable," says Sullivan. "But the sign of a good manager is someone who does develop people."
2)PRETEND YOU'RE ABROAD
Even if you're not going out of the country, remember you're still on holiday. "Don't tell people you're staying at home," advises Sullivan. "Lie - invent where you're going. If people know you're at home, they'll think it's fine to get in touch."
3)MANAGE YOUR DEVICES
The hold that your smartphone has over you must be broken on holiday. "People are fearful they're not committed if they switch off," asserts Sullivan. "But replying to emails during time off just makes people think, 'Go away, you're on holiday.'" You don’t get any brownie points for it!
4)STAY CREATIVE
If good ideas start popping into your head, don't shut out work entirely. "You may lie on the beach and think, 'That's the solution to that issue!' That's fine. The point is to allow your mind to have that freedom to rest and find new perspectives.
5)WHEN YOU RETURN….
There will inevitably be a backlog to deal with when you get back – and you need to address this in a sensible, practical way. Get the firefighting over and done with as quickly as possible, and then try to prioritise in order to ensure that the most pressing concerns are addressed promptly.
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