The Importance Of Knowing How To Disconnect

In the era of globalization, disconnecting from the routine and especially from work seems like an impossible task. Finding a balance between the time we dedicate to work and the free time we have may seem irrelevant.

Irrelevant in the sense that we don’t spend too much time thinking explicitly about it. But the truth is that not doing so can lead to an accumulation of stress, which, in the long term, translates into anxiety, with worrying effects on our health.

Paradoxically, when we cling to work, we sabotage our lives because of that same obsession. If the mind is tired it is less effective and has a lower performance. At that point, the more we work, the less results we get. Frustration increases and important decisions are postponed or become less assertive.

But it is not only important to disconnect from work, but also from the technological bombardment that you experience every day. Today we have a different perception of social relationships, which generates the artificial need to always remain connected. This need to always be available awakens insecurity in people, when they are forced to separate from their devices. Therefore, this behavior can end up affecting our emotional well-being.

Disconnect from new technologies

Few people are really aware of the importance of free time. Unless we are specialized in the art of relaxation, our work will develop with more or less levels of tension. That is why it is important to better organize work time and allocate a space for rest. Otherwise, work can become an addiction and, like any addiction, it will have negative consequences. That is why it is important to know how to disconnect.

New technologies have streamlined and improved our communication and the flow of information, but they have also contributed to deteriorating our quality of life and our health. This is the conclusion drawn by many studies conducted in areas such as medicine and psychology.

Of course, instant communication is a huge advantage, but also a bondage. New technologies, and in particular virtual social networks, are absorbing and make it difficult to establish boundaries between personal and work.

Our health and work

From the point of view of our health, the characteristic symptoms of an urgent need to disconnect include: chronic fatigue, lack of energy and exhaustion. Our concentration decreases and all together is reflected in a deficiency in the activities we carry out. The person in this condition tends to somatize his psychological state, in the form of dermatological diseases, gastrointestinal diseases or persistent headaches.

In this case, the only effective formula for solving such problems is rest. Free time is the perfect setting to disconnect from work and engage in activities that relax you and stimulate your brain. To know if it is time to disconnect, you must start by evaluating your sleep habits, that is, weighing if you have enough quantity and quality of hours to sleep.

By improving this aspect, your life will take another course and recovery will be noticeable in a short time. Both organically and psychologically, the benefits are enormous, as there will be less accumulation of stress and a halt to exhaustion that deteriorates your health. In another sense, you can restore your energies and resources, so that you improve your performance in the face of work and social demands.

It is key in our lives to have free time to dedicate to rest, fun and activities that we like. Feeding only routine tasks is detrimental to our creativity and emotionally predisposes us in a negative way to any extra effort.

Tips to disconnect

To disconnect you can take into account that:

• Laughter and having fun to the fullest should top the list of tasks to be done. These are the fundamental ingredients to get the best out of ourselves. Working during our time off can give us a false sense of productivity, when what we are actually doing is draining our creativity, motivation, and energy.

• Work and free time are just as important. The economic crisis in many countries generates the fear of losing our jobs and this leads us to work more. However, we must put limits on the time we dedicate to work. That is why the time that we dedicate more to work, we must compensate with free time during the weekends.

• We must learn to delegate functions, as well as to prioritize activities. Especially when we hold management positions, it is our duty to trust our work team. Otherwise, we assume a workload that is difficult to sustain in the long term. It is important to plan our rest time, especially if it is away from home.

• In order to better enjoy our free time, it is better not to charge mobile devices such as cell phones and computers, which would ruin everything. It is when the mind is released from pressure and overwork that it can create freely. Additionally, it is also there when you have more clarity in ideas and greater peace of mind to solve any problem.