E-mail anxiety new health hazard for young professionals

NEW DELHI: Shikha Girgla, 35, a Delhi-based brand consultant and happy-go-lucky personality to her peers, never thought that shifting office e-mails to her smartphone would reach a stage where she required medical attention.

The habit of checking e-mails every 10 minutes or so caused her anxiety, sleeplessness and lack of concentration. After much deliberation and counselling, she finally decided to deactivate office e-mails as soon as she reached home. Today, Girgla feels much better and in control of her life.

If you, like Girgla, can’t avoid responding to work or client e-mails every few minutes, you may be suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder that is debilitating and needs immediate intervention, experts say.

With smartphone use on the rise, email stress has become a new health hazard for young Indian professionals.

“Besides the immediate impact on physical health, excessive dependence on technology like checking e-mails every few minutes is likely to lead to poor lifestyle choices, disturbed sleep, distraction and social alienation,” Dr Samir Parikh, director of mental health and behavioural sciences at Fortis Hospital in New Delhi, told IANS.

With the blurring of lines dividing work from home, people are more prone to have unclear boundaries, which is likely to contribute to increasing stress and intermingling of roles, with an adverse impact professionally, personally and socially.

In the past, workplace issues were mostly encountered when the employee was at the workplace.

“Now, because of instant communication, not only can he be sent an e-mail at any time, he is also held accountable by superiors to respond to it as soon as possible,” says Dr Ajit Dandekar, head of psychiatry at Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai.

Young professionals are lining up at his clinic with complaints of insomnia, anxiety and insecurity – at the root of which lies the unhealthy work culture.

Having e-mails accessible to us at a click can be a major advantage as it saves time and energy and improves connectivity. But an excessive dependence can be debilitating.

According to a study released by the apex trade association Assocham earlier this year, over 42% of employees in the Indian private sector suffer from depression or general anxiety .

Self-discipline is the key when it comes to dealing with work communication. Learn to say a polite but firm no when the demand on your time and body is unreasonable. And unplug from technology.

Beyond office hours, you owe your body proper sleep, relaxation, exercise and a balanced diet, the experts advise. – IANS