Anyone would think that all the technology at our disposal would make life easier and a whole lot less stressful, but unfortunately, the reverse seems to be the case more often than not. A recent survey conducted by Deloitte indicated that much of the technology we have come to rely on has, in fact, complicated our lives in unforeseen ways; specifically, mobile technology.
As recently as the year 2017, at least 95% of all people in the United States owned a mobile phone and of those, more than 77% were smartphones. Let’s use this as a benchmark to see just how much stress we are being subjected to and then perhaps it might be possible to look at actual ways to cope with the effects of stress. It can be safely assumed that statistical data in other nations throughout Europe and North America closely resembles that of the US.
Mobile Technology Is Much to Blame
The original purpose for mobile phones was to make it easier to make phone calls while on the move. Whether you were on your way to work or at some remote location, you could always reach home or the office if you had a cell phone. However, what that survey mentioned above found was that few people actually use their mobile devices to make traditional phone calls.
Instead, they are more apt to access the internet for other purposes such as getting the latest news, shopping, downloading music or even mobile gaming. It is, in the words of one article, like having the internet in your pocket! The authors, Dr. Gini Harrison, and Dr. Mathijs Lucassen call it the “dark side of technology.” Instead of making life less hectic, we have become addicted to those mobile devices and suffer stress if unable to access them whenever and wherever we happen to be!
Types of Stress Mobile Technology Engenders
As with any addiction, the inability to use or interact with our addiction causes untold amounts of stress. Make no mistake, mobile technology is an addiction of epidemic proportions. While you would think that having the ability to access information on the fly would reduce our levels of stress, there is a need to continually be accessing that data.
How many times have you gone into a restaurant only to see everyone’s thumbs busily clicking away, immune to the fact that there are other people seated at their table? How many nights have you turned off the lights only to remember something you didn’t check earlier in the day, reaching for that mobile phone charging on your nightstand? You might forget where you’ve left your car keys, but chances are you know right where you put that phone if you don’t already have it in your pocket!
Stress Can Lead to Vitamin Deficiencies
Here is something which many people are totally unaware of. While most everyone knows that stress can lead to a number of illnesses and conditions such as cardiovascular disease, migraines, strokes, and even weight gain, did you know that high levels of stress can also cause vitamin deficiencies? It has been proven that inordinate amounts of stress can cause a deficiency in the B vitamins which are essential to almost every biological function in the human body.
If you are suffering from stress brought about by the technology you thought would make life easier, maybe it’s time to research which B vitamins you may be lacking. Metagenics is one company that specializes in natural supplements, many of which were developed in response to life in the 21st Century. Blue Sky Vitamin offers a variety of their products, among which is folate (B-9) and one of the B vitamins most commonly depleted as a result of high levels of stress.
Natural Stress Reduction Is Always Safest
As far back as the 1960s, it was widely known that tranquilizers were a leading way to deal with stress. The Rolling Stones even did a song about “Mother’s Little Helper” which, in turn, raised up more than one generation of people who then became addicted to those medications. In response, many naturopaths began developing natural ways to cope with stress so that the treatment didn’t substitute one problem for another. Whether you choose to step away for a few moments’ meditation or simply alter your schedule to avoid the causes of stress throughout the day, there are natural ways of coping.
You just need to find what’s right for you in terms of reducing and/or counteracting the harmful effects of technology-induced stress. Not only can you avoid that which brings about stress but you can also live a healthier lifestyle that will replenish nutrients lost to stress while bolstering the body to face what lies ahead. In short, natural remedies are safest and offer healthy solutions going forward. You may not be able to totally rid your life of stress, but you can rely on nature to offer a cure.