The Great Email Escape
Well I'm off to Santa Fe. It's time to give the old brain a rest. Like a most clever cabby, I'm about to switch on the "off duty" sign. Three long time buddies from New York and I will be exploring the Southwest. Definitely City Slickers redux. Being self-employed, it's hard to take off long periods. So a week away from clients, the computer, from email!!! That's my biggest worry. Will I have email withdrawal?
Isn't it amazing and, maybe, a little scary how email becomes a continuous thread in our lives? Actually, I still haven't decided if it's a tie that bonds or binds. Perhaps, both. For example, how many people now log on and check their mailbox even before morning coffee? Not being a coffee drinker this isn't a tough choice personally. But sometimes I have to struggle with my commitment to morning exercise before blasting off into cyberspace. I'm just itching to get started. I know, once cruising, it can be three AOL window reminder-threats before I break free of virtual space travel.
And during the course of a day, when there's a lull, I'm usually sneaking a peek. Though sometimes with mixed emotion. I'm always curious if a new message awaits (other than the commercial flotsam and jetsam); but I also have some trepidation, especially when I'm behind (as is often the case) in responding to readers' heartfelt questions and concerns. Then there's a struggle. How much time and energy do I devote to others' needs; how much to my own? When lacking balance, I either feel guilty or grumpy. Email overload, and the absence of a psychological and operational system for dealing with it, can certainly grind one closer to mental fatigue, anxiety and irritability. And burnout is often less a sign of failure and more that we gave ourselves away.
My brother's girlfriend says I'm addicted to the internet. I was beginning to wonder myself. Recently, I was at the University of North Carolina-Asheville for five days taking some professional/continuing education classes. For the first two days I was crawling the campus for an AOL connection. No luck. On the third day, we had a respite from afternoon classes. A group of us went white water rafting. That definitely got my head and butt out of cyberspace. And for the rest of the week, AOL was a distant memory. Maybe there is hope. Perhaps only early stage addiction.
So Stress Doc heal thyself. And that's why I'm heading west. Actually, I also see parallels between our current scene and an earlier exploratory period in our country's history. Then it was "Go west, young man." Today, my pioneering maxim for the millennium: "Go web, young cyberoid!" (And remember, no matter how young or old, almost all are relatively new cyberoids.)
Finally, with all the above, and in anticipation of the southwest sojourn, I'm reminded of a recent "Close to Home," cartoon by John McPherson. I shared it this week with the members of the REAL weekly support group I lead. (I do occasionally have an actual, offline life.) And, let me also share it with you all. A middle-aged man lies sick in bed. His face is covered with a rash; a thermometer protrudes from his mouth. His spouse addresses him: "Dr. Franey is in the Bahamas for two weeks, but we can visit his Web site."
Unlike that hedonistic Dr. Franey, I'm only gone for a week. Still, here's my URL: http://net-site.com/gorkin . Take two columns, and don't email me in the morning! (I'm already having anticipatory email anxiety contemplating my return. Maybe it is a sickness, after all.) So, to soothe my troubled brow, I'll leave a reference top ten list at the ready for next time -- "The Stress Doc's Stress Tips."
Have a great week, get a (real) life and, of course, Practice Safe Stress!
Feedback Segment: How about sharing your thoughts on how you, friends or colleagues use humor in dealing with stress, conflict or moods, yours or others, in your personal life, at home or at work? HFTE will run the best stories and, of course, credit you. (And the real lagniappe, you become a member of the Stress Doc's StressBusters Club.) Also, email me to learn more about "The Stress Doc's" upcoming serious and humorous on-line support/chat group -- "The Frequent Sighers Club.
Mark Gorkin, "The Stress Doc," Licensed Clinical Social Worker, is a nationally recognized speaker, workshop leader and author on stress, reorganizational change, anger, team building, creativity and humor. The Stress Doc is a columnist for the popular cyber-newsletter, Humor From The Edge. Mark is also the "Online Psychohumorist" for the major AOL mental health resource network, Online Psych . His motto: Have Stress? Will Travel! Reach "The Doc" at (202) 232-8662, email: Stress Doc@aol.com