WhatsApp in action: How to prevent its use from harming your mental health

“There’s a meme already speaking: The opposite of peace is slippage,” attorney Natalia de Campos, 33, jokes. For years she had questioned herself about the significance WhatsApp Acquired in people’s lives, including at work. Using the messaging app has already affected her a lot, but today she has managed to form a healthy relationship with it.

“I started realizing how urgent people were for instant answers and it got so crazy it left me with it anxiety. I thought, “God, does someone need me when I’m not responding?” My day didn’t give up because I was available all the time for the other,” she says.

With the changes brought about by the covid-19 pandemic, with more businesses adopting home offices, it was once necessary to create online spaces to maintain personal communication. Email has, in some cases, proven insufficient for some messages previously sent on a quick visit to a colleague’s office. This is how WhatsApp has become an almost mandatory tool in the corporate world.

In 2021, according to Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF) search66% of Brazilians report that they use their smartphone for work and 84% of them report using WhatsApp for professional purposes as well. This tendency was accompanied by threatening practices for some people Psychological healthsuch as pressing for instant answers, numerous groups to discuss professional matters and fee-based messages even after working hours.

Faced with the problem, the app team recently announced that it is working on a Update the application that will allow you to separate between personal and work chats. But, although it is not issued, it is necessary to think about the consequences of excessive use of the application and learn how to impose restrictions in this case.

“Because I work remotely and with people from different states in Brazil, the Internet is the primary source of communication with everyone. But it is also where I have my personal conversations. It is very difficult to set boundaries,” says publicist Isabela Figueiredo, 26.

So great was the messaging app overload that Isabella began experiencing physical symptoms from the stress: from migraines and hair loss to dermatitis caused by a high level of cortisol (a hormone associated with controlling stress). “I have been diagnosed Burnt. Things seemed much bigger, more urgent, and more chaotic than in the letters. He was desperate.”

The psychiatrist and collaborator in the Emotional Disorders Program at the Instituto de Psiquiatria do just that Clinical hospital It’s human nature, explains Rodrigo Menezes Machado of the University of the South Pacific. “Mainly because of the need for social approval. When we see someone making social demands on us, we feel a huge responsibility to answer that call,” he explains.

What happens is that this generates a pattern of behavior, commanded by anxiety, in which we need to be available all the time. This is what Americans call FOMO (Fear of missing out or “fear of missing out,” in a free translation). In the case of work, this is also associated with guilt and fear of not being seen as qualified or available.

“I found myself apologizing if I took a little longer to respond. If I went to sleep, even with the cellphone on silent, I would see the notification light and ask myself: ‘Is this important? Is it urgent?’” says Natalia.

“WhatsApp becomes a tool for generating tension from the moment you communicate that sense of urgency. The system that processes anxiety in our brain is very primitive and can be activated not necessarily by real fear, but by abstract fear. Thus, it can range from fear to Negative evaluation at work refers to the judgment of its unavailability immediately.

“In addition to being demanding of others, it is important to remember that there is a demand for oneself in being productive, a desire to be the best employee and take care of everything, and not be able to say no. This perfectionism is a trait that we find a lot in people who are overworked. “, confirms psychologist Theis Fagunds, who specializes in work and career.

If the separation between professional and personal communication is increasingly blurred, restrictions are necessary to prevent the app from invading moments of comfort and causing emotional problems.

In order not to feed your anxiety or other anxieties, do not, by default, expect immediate responses to your messages, especially when there is no urgent need. He does not even cover himself for not being available to answer what he receives immediately. “People have lost the filter of urgency. Often this is how they take their anxiety out of the other. But I knew, at least in my work, that everything is important, but almost nothing is urgent,” says Natalia.

In many professions, WhatsApp has helped bring service providers and customers closer together. At the same time, since communication through a screen can “dehumanize” these relationships, it is not uncommon for extrapolations to occur: whether in time, number of messages, or fees.

In the case of Nathalia, she has already made it clear in the contract with her clients that communication through the app is not the norm. “Today I only answer messages once or twice a day. If it’s urgent, you can call me.” What’s interesting, she says, is that since the rules were put in place, very few deliveries have happened.

Rest is absolutely necessary for the mind. “Our brains can’t work at high speed all the time. Rest is essential for us to develop our thoughts and for cognitive recovery, which includes a good night’s sleep. Screens delay the moment when the brain shuts down and stops its light production.” melatoninsays Machado. “Excessive use of technology, whatever it may be, is linked to the disease process, particularly to the development of problems such as anxiety and depression,” says the psychiatrist.

In the case of Isabella, the therapy was beneficial for her to understand that she romanticizes her work, without leaving much space or time for other activities and hobbies. What worked for her was moving work conversations to Facebook’s workplace tool, and keeping professional communications in a separate app. “Of course there are still rough days, but my relationship is much better and I no longer have any symptoms,” he says.

According to Thaís Fagundes, excessive and indiscriminate use of messaging apps during working hours impairs attention and concentration. “Because we are always on alert, waiting for a notification, we cannot focus on anything at all. Which does not allow a person to focus on a request or a rest,” he says.

A good alternative, when possible, is to have two cell phones, one professional and one personal, so that the practice of checking WhatsApp messages also corresponds to business hours and the company device is turned off when business hours are over. It is also recommended to use specific messaging apps for business environments.

It is interesting to think, before sending messages, if it is really necessary, if it is necessary, if the time is right. Sometimes it may seem very obvious to you that a letter sent at night, for example, can be answered the next day, but just sending it outside working hours can generate anxiety in the recipient, conveying the idea of ​​\u200b\u200burgency. Before you ask the other for something, consider whether you can solve the problem yourself with a few minutes of research or action.

A good strategy is to write the questions in notebooks on your cell phone and, at the end of the day, see what has been solved or not. Thus, only really necessary messages will be sent.

So that your day is productive and you have space for rest and other tasks, set times, according to your routine and needs, to check and respond to WhatsApp messages. Even if the other responds immediately, just come back on time.

“You don’t have to be available all the time. You have to understand that this is not conditioned by your value as a professional, and therefore, set boundaries. It’s a challenging thing, but a necessary process,” says Thaïs. Something that might help disable app notifications.

Do not solicit immediate responses from colleagues or employees, and do not charge any fee to respond immediately to any message sent. Remember that if it is very urgent, you can call. We all have equally important tasks in the “offline world,” and for the sake of our mental health, we should have time for them without having to check our cell phone every minute.

For many, the app can be a constant reminder of everyday issues or the need to be productive, which can add to anxiety. Therefore, having time just for you, preferably away from your cell phone, is a way to try to relax. “It lowers the stress level because I can connect to my body and not be hit by any stimuli. It’s like we pressed ‘reboot’ and stayed in the present moment, listening to our thoughts and noticing our feelings,” says Tai.

It’s important to recognize if your relationship with your cell phone is causing you problems, even if it’s essential to your job. Receiving constant criticism or complaints from close family members or colleagues about excessive cell phone use or checking notifications every ten minutes every day are warning signs.

According to Thaís, other negative signs are feeling too tired even after a good nights sleep or days off and failing to do the activities you love because you spend hours checking and replying to messages on WhatsApp.

Find out if your day income is related to using WhatsApp, and also note your questions as a professional in this scenario. Doesn’t not responding to any messages make you feel like a “worse” professional? If so, it’s time to seek help from a therapist.