Latest news with #NationalStressAwareness
Forbes
06-04-2025
- Forbes
‘Ping Fatigue': 4 Tips To Tackle This Silent Culprit Of Burnout
That pinging sound from your multiple devices could be your new American Idol. It's amazing how many of us feel slaves to the high-pitched sound and how few of us do anything about. April is National Stress Awareness month, a perfect time to pay attention to how pinging can annoy you like gnats at a picnic. But the seemingly innocuous sound is more serious than you might think if you're not fully aware of the stress it imposes in your life. When unmanaged, the constant pinging could turn into chronic stress and lead to 'ping fatigue'--a silent contributor to burnout. 'Do you know that feeling of a complete onslaught of notifications during your busy workday?" asks Peter Duris, CEO and co-founder of AI career app Kickresume. 'That's ping fatigue,' Duris answers. 'Many workers nowadays are logged into multiple apps and platforms which can send you notifications throughout the day. It can be an automatic message to let you know that someone's editing your file, a meeting's about to start or that someone's trying to contact you.' 'Ping fatigue' refers to the state of mental exhaustion that leads to an 'always on' attitude when you receive an endless stream of digital notifications from platforms like Teams, Slack, email and Google Drive. It can leave you stressed, distracted and unable to maintain your focus. Duris is convinced that this growing issue exhausts the energy of office and tech workers in ways they're unaware of, adding, 'It's one of the things that silently contributes to burnout for office and tech workers.' Plus, he says these multiple distractions can make it more difficult to focus and get into a flow state where you feel able to tackle your work. 'There should always be a balance between getting on with your tasks and being available to your colleagues, especially if you work in a collaborative environment, according to Duris. 'I wouldn't advise anybody to feel like they are 'always on'—especially outside of work hours.' Duris offers four tips on how you can manage your devices and prevent "ping fatigue.' 1. 'Try setting aside specific times for checking your emails and other messages. If you need a period of deep work, you can always turn off your notifications for some time or just simply turn off the sound on your computer.' 2. 'If you use Slack or Teams, you can set your status to 'busy' to let everyone know ahead of time that you might respond slower.' 3. 'Take scheduled breaks away from the screen if you can, especially during your lunch break. There's nothing better than eating with a calm mind.' 4. 'Unsubscribing to the newsletters you don't read can help you cut down the incoming notifications.' 1. 'Avoid sending messages outside of work hours. Your team will be grateful to not feel like they have to be 'always on'. If you have a great idea that you think you might forget in minutes, just write the email and schedule it for the next morning.' 2. 'Send company updates in batches for conciseness. Friendly reminder: HR, senior leadership and employee committees may need to collaborate on this for an effective weekly communications.' 3. 'Try introducing a pre-planned 'quiet time'. Many IT companies swear by it nowadays. That's when no communication is allowed, and all team members work on their own projects uninterrupted.' Ironically, the very devices that reduce stress, save time and improve your life can exacerbate stress if not properly managed. Just because your device pings doesn't mean you have to answer it on cue, letting it become the boss of your mind. Allowing intrusive pinging to call the shots automatically puts you in a foot race that can leave you frazzled. It's time to end your love affair with pinging devices. Tackling 'ping fatigue' can bring you more peace of mind, improve your focus and engagement and boost your productivity in the long run. Duris concludes that cutting down on 'ping fatigue"can make you more productive and strengthen your focus. 'The less notifications throughout the day, the better. And of course, it can also make work less stressful, with fewer competing distractions.' He concludes that when you're relaxed, you're better able to problem-solve and deal with daily work challenges.
Forbes
06-04-2025
- Health
- Forbes
10 Steps To Prevent Chronic Stress From Causing Brain Damage
As we spotlight National Stress Awareness in April, it's important to acknowledge that stress is a normal part of our daily lives. It actually has a good side when we learn from it and get stronger. But just as professional football players and boxers suffer brain damage from constant punches to the head, research shows that chronic stress causes structural damage to the brain circuitry, leading to long-term harm on the nervous system. Before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, APA's 2024 Stress in America™ survey showed that 77% of adults said the future of the nation was a significant source of stress in their lives and 51% said the uncertainty about the election caused them stress. These statistics are alarming. Economic uncertainty. Threats of a recession. Massive layoffs. Effects of new tariffs. RTO mandates forcing you back into the office after feeling productive working remotely. A work culture that thrives on crisis, chaos and pressure are examples of chronic stress that can cause atrophy of the brain mass and decrease in brain weight. When you add persistent job stress and personal pressures on top of national and global stress, it's easy to see how repeated bombardment of the brain--like a football player or boxer--can lead to psychological and physical disorders. A work culture that thrives on crisis, chaos and pressure are examples of chronic stress that can cause atrophy of the brain mass and decrease in brain weight. Repeated pressures and demands from upper management. That sinking feeling in your stomach before a presentation to colleagues. Struggling with an impossible deadline. Negative chatter circling in your head like a school of sharks. An abusive boss. Sexual harassment. A bullying coworker. Chronic stress can cause mood disorders, anxiety and depression and decreases in cognitive flexibility and your brain's prefrontal cortex, necessary for focused attention and executive functioning. Chronic stress can even raise the risk of diabetes, heart disease and memory loss from the shrinkage of the hippocampus--even degenerative brain diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's. In a healthy brain and in the short term, these changes are reversible, but over the long haul brain damage can persist. Although working under constant threat of job loss, fear of reprimands from management or financial uncertainty can raise your risk of physical and mental illness, there are steps you can take. Your work health is essential for long-term mental and physical viability and the trajectory of your career. If you toil in an toxic work culture, it's important to weigh your options and find a workplace that prides itself on employee-centered empathy and care. Even if you work in a healthy environment, chronic stress doesn't give your body a chance to return to its natural resting state. The key is to have a stress-care plan to offset any potential stress damage so you can reset your brain and keep it healthy. Your brain is your best friend. It has the hefty responsibility of keeping you safe and healthy, your career on track and important relationships intact. Your brain needs your help to keep it healthy. Here are 10 science-backed steps to stress-proof your brain and prevent damage from chronic stress. Don't wait for your company to decide what's in your best mental and physical health interests. You're in control of your health, not your employer. Evaluate your job and life and decide for yourself what's reasonable stress. How long and far are you willing to continue working under chronic stress? Exactly what is it about your job that stresses you out? Is it the boss from hell? Inflexible schedules? Boreout syndrome from tedious work? Not enough money? Long hours? Heavy workload? Your workplace shouldn't make you sick. Be prepared to put your foot down if you believe your employer oversteps your boundaries. Drawing a line in the sand when you're under stress and burnout without feeling guilty or disloyal is a healthy practice. There are other workplaces where you have choices to stay late, work weekends or enjoy a remote or hybrid schedule. If you're in a toxic work environment, it's not worth sacrificing your mental health when other job openings prioritize your emotional and physical well-being. You're not weak or selfish if you refuse to subject yourself to chronic stress. You're a normal person responding to an abnormal work situation, refusing to allow chronic stress to cause damage to your brain.
