I seem to be seeing more and more people suffering from stress and this can have all sorts of reasons such as work and home life challenges as well as financial burdens. And it also seems to be that for most people these days there is no ‘down’ time and there is the feeling that you are missing out if you are not constantly on Facebook or twitter.

This need to be in touch or FOMO (fear of missing out) is, I feel, at the root cause of many peoples’ stress and anxiety, although they would probably be loathe to admit it. In fact I am sure that, for many, they feel that being connected all the time is a comfort to them, as otherwise they would feel isolated and cut-off.

As always there is a balance to be struck. Modern technology is, even for me a self-confessed technophobe, a wonderful thing. There is so much that can be learnt from the Internet, and it was great that we could see and speak to our son back here in Suffolk from our Balinese retreat. However, when we become unable to get through 5 minutes without checking our phone, then maybe it is time to admit that there may be a slight problem.  No-one is truly indispensable or needs to be accessible all the time and it is important to be self-aware if you feel you may have FOMO as this can soon become an habit which is difficult to break.

If you feel that you need help with this type of problem and would like to learn how to ‘switch off’ do contact me on 01449 780352 or email me on wendy@wendychalk.co.uk.

Best wishes,
Wendy x