Heavy tech use and social networking has also been shown to reduce our ability to enjoy real life, family and friends.
Besides costing relationships, jobs and self-esteem, spending too much time online has been proven to cause anxiety disorders and other illnesses due to the sedentary way we sit. These include, but are not limited to:
- Computer or IAD (Internet Addiction Disorder)
- Social anxiety disorder
- Depression
- ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
- Eye strain, blurred vision
- Insomnia
- Back pain
- "Text" neck and headaches (from prolonged head tilting at unnatural angles)
- Obesity
- Heart disease, risk of stroke and certain kinds of cancers
How Stress Management Coaching Can Help
People suffering from tech stress are often unaware that it is out of control - and why the right support and stress relief plan is essential to managing it. Personal coaching can provide the roadmap, step-by-step guidance and skills to relieve stress, regain focus and restore balance by helping to:
Understand your stress response. When you face a stressful situation ( traffic jam, work deadline), your brain identifies the challenge and sounds an alarm, preparing you to react quickly. Stress hormones flood your system and produce a “fight-or-flight” response (increased heart rate, faster breathing, tense muscles, etc.). Observing physiological changes is the first step in learning to manage stress more effectively.
Identify your stress triggers. Everyone experiences stress differently (pain, headaches, trouble sleeping, stomach aches, anger, sadness, etc.) Becoming mindful of tasks, activities, situations and environmental stressors that trigger your reactions can help you reduce the negative effects of stress. Take our free stress quizzes to assess your personal and work stress triggers.
Improve your lifestyle. Making small but powerful changes to unhealthy eating, exercise, sleep, mental and social habits can help minimize stress. In fact, the latest research shows that 80% of stress-related illnesses (heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes, etc.) and 40% of cancers can be prevented with improvements to diet and lifestyle.
Manage negative moods. Many people spend the majority of their day stuck in stress, frustration and overwhelm, often needlessly. Understanding how you create unproductive states and learning to reframe them can help you shift negative emotions and adapt thoughts to a more positive mindset, which can be just as important as eating well and getting enough exercise and sleep.
Develop new coping skills. Deep breathing, muscle relaxation, meditation, body scanning and guided imagery are powerful mindfulness techniques for de-stressing your body and brain. In a recent UCLA study, participants who learned and practiced mindfulness for just 5 minutes a day over 3-weeks significantly reduced their stress. They also experienced an increase in life satisfaction, mastery of their environment and more positive relationships with others.
Ready to find relief? Read about our Stress Management Programs and schedule a free discovery call today. Serving out of Manhattan, NY and available everywhere with online services. Learn how personal coaching can help you reduce tech stress and restore healthy balance, ease and wellbeing to your everyday life.