I don’t know about you, but being at an event recently where the panel spoke about all the changes and technology that is happening in our area, made me think that I just can’t keep up.
Today, we have smart phones, our three-year old knows how to use an iPad better than we do. We can see who is at our front door even if we are a hundred miles away and can talk to the person.
We can have groceries delivered to our front door, we can deposit a check to our bank account by taking a picture of it and never stepping in the building or going through the drive thru. We can track our pizza delivery and track any person who is willing to let us, including our children who may not want us to.
The Apps, should we even get into the number of apps that do everything from keeping us amused to starting our cars before we even get near them, to opening our garage door before we even get around the corner.
Technology is truly mind boggling. This isn’t even touching the things that have changed in the last five years.
It is said that a person entering college as a freshman who is majoring in IT or Computer Science, by the time they graduate everything they learned in the first three years will be obsolete or enhanced with modern technology.
People are finding themselves stressed out over new means of doing their job. They used to feel very confident about going to work every day, now simply because a system was brought in that utilizes technology and makes things quicker, more convenient, and supposedly more efficient, they are freaking out.
So, what to do?
First, think about what you really need to know. Start with your phone. Can you get calls, make calls, text and receive and send e-mails? You may want to take pictures and store and share them too, but basics first. This may seem trivial to some but many people are not sure how to do the most basic things with their phone. Your phone provider will help if you go to a store. They may offer classes that are free and if not find a teen in your neighborhood and throw them a few bucks for helping you out. I can almost guarantee that they know as much if not more than the people at the phone company.
Next, think about what you need to know and should know for your job. Be okay to tell your employer that you need help. This can be a stressful time since you are used to working efficiently and this new system put a damper on your job. Everything is hard until it is easy. The best thing is to be upfront, say you need help, ask for a person to help you get back into the groove and you will once again be your efficient self.
Do you use technology for relaxation? How many of us play a game on our device? Funny how we can pick this up quickly and use the game as an escape. This is fine if you have balance and not get addicted to the escape.
Be aware if you are using the device too much. It is easy to want to get away from the stressors of life.
Don’t be frazzled from technology, learn what you need to know and use.
As for devices:
- No texting or dialing while driving
- Keep the phones in another place beside on or near the table when you are eating with family or friends
- Decide what time at night you are no longer going to take a call, make a call, or look at Social Media.
- Set any additional rules for yourself since you are the one that knows what you should or should not be doing.
Is this easy, no, it’s hard to change. Today with all the means to communicate we feel we need to always be available, and people expect us to answer if they call us, regardless of the time or day.
A recent study revealed how stressed a person gets when their phone dings or rings and they can’t answer it. Their blood pressure goes up, they get anxious and start to have guilt feelings of not being able to reach for their phone. This study involved brain imaging and you could see the colors of the brain changing to show distress. Something is wrong with this picture.
Remember you oversee yourself. You need to be the one to train other people as to when you are available and when you are not. Don’t be a victim of technology, embrace the positive things that it does for us. So, you can say no frazzle here.