Working from home does not mean that our availability must be absolute. Moments of disconnection from messages and video calls are necessary, but also from intense days of smartworking.
Last update: Augusts 12, 2020
In recent months, smartworking has become an increasingly widespread method. Today more than ever, we use social networks and messaging and video calling services to stay in touch with partners, family, friends, colleagues, etc… And it is also for this reason that we often reach a saturation point. It is imperative to set limits for our well-being and health.
Jane Wilde Hawking, in her book Towards Infinity, states that when you are fighting your destiny, the only important thing is to safeguard your survival. And that's right, this phrase fits our lives perfectly.
While living in a hyper-connected world, capable of offering us various advantages, we have a duty to safeguard the precious dimension of our well-being. And that is why it is essential to set limits.
Setting limits is good for your health
We all know that in life being assertive and knowing how to set limits in certain situations is a guarantee of tranquility and mental balance. However… Who would have ever imagined having to do it as often as in recent times? It is at least strange.
Nowadays, taking advantage of technology and social networks to stay in touch with loved ones is a widespread practice. Similarly, it is common to consider them useful tools to simplify work and, therefore, an unequivocal guarantee of well-being, without even thinking if this is really the case. Despite all the advantages of the digital world, it is unthinkable to think of staying connected 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Smartworking and online education can and should improve
Telecom companies say peak connections are at 9:00 in the morning, which is when most email exchanges take place.
On average, the smartworking day is ten hours instead of eight. And the most surprising thing is that many people choose to work between midnight and 3:00 in the morning.
The reason is quite simple: during the day they cannot concentrate and have no choice but to work during the hours when, for example, children are asleep.
On the other hand, In the area of ​​distance education, several shortcomings can still be identified and inadequacies. Some teachers just submit homework without taking online classes, and grading systems are not always effective. Added to this is the technological aspect: not all children have a personal computer.
Establishing limits in today's society also means knowing how to organize oneself. Optimal time management in terms of smartwoking not only allows us to be more productive, but also to avoid stress.
With regard to online education, it is also advisable to set a limit on what is possible and what is not. Parents often bear an additional burden, namely the children's lessons. This is a problem that needs to be addressed and solved.
Staying at home does not mean always being available, you have to set limits
Setting limits means make others understand that we are not always available. Maybe we don't want to converse either by texting or by video call. Not because we don't love that person, simply because sometimes we need to read a book more or do nothing to calm the mind.
It must be understood that each person has their own specific rhythms and needs. Sometimes, almost without realizing it, we spend hours on the phone or texting. There is nothing wrong with any of this, but we need our breaks, time to dedicate to ourselves. And that's why setting limits is healthy.
Setting limits also in the psychological sphere
Setting limits also means paying attention to your inner world and take care of emotions. It is not enough just to protect yourself from the outside, reducing, for example, the amount of information received.
In addition to managing the day in an optimal way, agreeing with friends and family the time to devote to video calls, it is also necessary to build mental walls.
What does it mean? Set limits on excessive worries, for instance. Well-being comes from knowing how to be assertive with others, but also with ourselves, keeping under control what is in our power.
There are many things that are beyond our control and every day we have to deal with uncertainty and fear. Despite this, it is good to contain that mind that so easily projects itself in the anticipation of events that have not yet happened, ideas that foresee the worst and increase anxiety.
Be clear, dealing with one's inner universe is just as fundamental as dealing with what comes from the outside. Well-being is a question of balance, of knowing how to set limits, of having a clear idea of ​​what is most needed at all times. Let's work on it.
