Editor's note: Physicians experience burnout, too.read Medscape Physician Burnout and Depression Report 2024: “There’s a lot of work to do”
March 8, 2024—Text. Email. Video conferencing. Text to notify you about an upcoming video conference.
And it stays like this until what tech experts and psychologists call the digital dark side of technology: stress, anxiety, and feelings of overload wipe you out, putting your mental and physical health at risk. Masu.
However, to prevent this, burn out Feeling teeth Experts say this is possible by practicing mindfulness, an age-old approach that focuses on noticing your emotions in the moment without judgment or interpretation. For example, mindful breathing focuses on paying attention to your breathing as you breathe in and out. A mindfulness approach allows employees to leverage technology to increase productivity, reduce stress, and feel more in control.
Mindfulness over digital trust?
new studyResearchers examined participants' mindfulness and confidence in technology to determine whether either or both moderated the dark side of the digital workplace. According to Elizabeth Marsh, a PhD student at the University of Nottingham in the UK and a mindfulness teacher who led the study, these dark sides include stress, overload, anxiety and fear of missing out (FOMO). This includes things like addiction.
First, Marsh briefly explained mindfulness to the participants, but did not teach them. Many were already familiar with this practice. Researchers surveyed 142 workers between the ages of 18 and 54, 84% of whom were women, about their level of mindfulness in the digital workplace and confidence in technology.
We also asked about levels of stress, overload, anxiety, FOMO (e.g. when working from home) and addiction. In addition to the survey, they conducted further in-depth interviews with 14 workers. Most workers worked 25 to 40 hours a week, of which 25 workers worked more than 40 hours. Only 5% said they were not stressed, more than 73% reported mild or moderate stress, and more than 21% reported extreme or extreme stress.
Mindfulness, she said, is more effective than relying on technology to protect against all the dark side effects. However, she added, „Trust in technology has been especially helpful at times when people have felt anxious or fearful of missing out (such as during remote work).“
She didn't go so far as to say that mindfulness trumped confidence in technology. „But I can definitely say it's really important,“ she said.
They also found that, as suspected, the dark side effects of technology negatively impact both physical and mental health, and that digital stress and other dark side effects are associated with increased burnout and poorer health. discovered.
Expert perspective
The growth of mindfulness in the Western world Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, He founded a mindfulness-based program at the University of Massachusetts in 1979. Since then, many U.S. companies have launched mindfulness programs in the workplace. But most have focused on reactive coping mechanisms, trying to ameliorate the effects of technology overload, said Michael Foster, the association's founder and president. Institute for Organizational Science and Mindfulness; We advocate science-based mindfulness and mental health in the workplace.
He said the new research „starts by disentangling the various mental and emotional challenges in the workplace and allows us to address them through intentionally targeted neural training (through mindfulness).“ Stated.
Foster, who was not involved in the UK study, said: „Workplace health is completely reactive and is far behind the science.“
Companies are pinning this new research on how mindfulness training can transform organizations into more positive attitudes and give leaders and employees the mental and emotional skills to „navigate the digital workplace more effectively and successfully.“ It should be seen as proof that it is possible.
Mindfulness programs in the workplace can reduce healthcare costs and increase productivity. two digits, According to Foster's organization.
Practicing Mindfulness
Participants in the UK study shared some of their mindfulness techniques during interviews. One person mentioned taking a few deep breaths and pausing before continuing when work gets tough.
Another said it's important to check in with yourself throughout your workday and really ask yourself, „Am I mentally okay?“ „How am I feeling?“
Others have decided they need more boundaries around technology to reduce work hours while working from home. Some people turn off notifications from time to time, or unplug completely in the evening.
Google's Mindfulness Guru
The new study reflects previous evidence about the value of mindfulness, said Mirabai Bush, a mindfulness expert and senior researcher at the institute. meditative mind center in society, A global community advocating meditative practices such as mindfulness. What's unique about her recent research, she says, is that it combines the concepts of mindfulness and digital authenticity, and her findings that mindfulness protects against more technology side effects. Stated.
This „increases its potential and importance in the workplace. No one seems to know how to deal with this digital stress.“
In 2007, Bush was a co-developer of Google's mindfulness program. Let's look within ourselves. It has become an independent educational institution, teaching mindfulness to government employees and nonprofit organizations. During his start-up at Google, Bush taught mindfulness to young engineers. In her words, they have spent much of their working lives looking at screens with little face-to-face interaction. It was difficult to convince the engineers to talk about their emotions and take a breather, but it turned out to be doable.
In early courses, “we talked about mindful email,” she said. Its contents are as follows: „Write your email. Take three breaths. Look again. Imagine how the person who is about to receive it will feel emotionally and intellectually.“ Ask questions. : Is that the wrong message?
An engineer needed to persuade an employee to do something and aimed for a demanding but not demanding tone. He carefully rewrote the email and reported: he picked up the phone. ” He noticed that depending on the tone of the email, no matter how many times he rewrote it, it still sounded demanding.
Mindfulness community
Four years ago, Megan Whitney founded the Mindfulness Community. Nourish America, A national network of food banks, pantries, and local meal programs. Employees at 200 food banks have access to the online program, said Whitney, a senior manager at the organization and a certified mindfulness teacher. In one of his practices, called „Time to Arrive,“ before a meeting, he sets a timer for one minute and invites everyone to just breathe, whether their eyes are open or closed.
„Working at a food bank is extremely stressful,“ Whitney said. One user told her: „It can feel lonely in the nonprofit world. People don't understand what I do as a food banker.“ She said the community helps her feel connected. .
Other mindfulness research
„Practicing mindfulness can help digital users become more aware of their habitual and unconscious reactions to digital interactions (e.g., doom scrolling, task switching, habitual phone checking) and help protect their health. „We may be able to take decisive action,“ he said. Dr David Hurley is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Brighton, UK, and has written a research-based book on using mindfulness in a digital world.
She takes exception to one of the measures used in the new study, which looked at „trait mindfulness,“ which suggests that mindfulness needs to be a trait that a person already has. Stated. Instead of looking for people to practice mindfulness, employers should provide training, he said.
Workplace mindfulness that you can do yourself
Employees at companies without formal mindfulness programs can learn and practice on their own. Here are some suggestions from experts:
- Hurley said to ground yourself in your immediate bodily experience. “Be aware of how your body feels during digital interactions.”
- Reducing digital distractions can help. „Close all devices, windows, and apps other than the one you are currently working on, and turn off all notifications,“ Hurley said.
- „Go back to your breathing,“ Hurley said, explaining that being aware of your breathing, even for a moment, is valuable.
- Marsh suggested silencing your phone or turning off notifications for various apps.
- Bush said basic mindfulness is easy to learn. „Sit, close your eyes, and observe your breathing.'' Although you can study on your own, „It's best to learn from a teacher first.'' Many of his online resources guide users to practice: Mindfulness.
This research was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council Midland Graduate School.