Mail anxiety

Every ten minutes Rinku is checking her email expecting some new mails. Rarely did she get messages from friends and colleagues. This habit creates a lot of tension among the Net users which is referred as mail anxiety.

She works as a communication manager in a corporate firm in Delhi. This mid twenty aged lady‘s frequent email checking has become a routine affair. Rinku spends at least eight hours on the Internet every day. After five years of work experience and intense browsing, she finds it difficult to keep away from the Internet. Whenever she surfs the Net continuously Rinku gets headache, back pain and eye strains. Pscyologists and physicians warn the Internet users about the potential health consequences. Constant engagement with the computer is deadly dangerous for the well being of human beings. The net addiction is equated with drug abuse or alcoholism or smoking. Although there is a serious efforts by the government exists to pursue the drug users, alcoholics and smokers to avoid ill health generating activities there is no conscious movement against the work use of cyber space.

Chatting, social networking and bloggers eat away her office time in a big way. Despite her firmness to keep away from the computer, Rinku gets reminders in her mobile phone about the new updates of her friend’s album and profiles. This pulls her out to the cyberspace.
Some email sites got chatting right inside the inbox. Whenever she logs into check her official correspondence her friends bump into her for a chat. Rarely can she avoid it. The email she uses somehow conveys to the world that she is online despite Rinku preferring to label herself as not available for chat.

After encountering the perennial problems, she decided not to go infront of the computer during the weekend. For the last two weeks she was able to keep her away from the cyberspace. It is to be seen for how long Rinku can avoid computer. The following tips can help computer addicts to avoid mail anxiety.

1. Engage yourself in non computer activities.
2. Allocate a particular time in morning and evening for email checking and answering
3. Finish your work during week days and do not go near the computer for two days in a week
4. Ensure that you take constant break during work hours from the computer

Unless those who are working and using computers frequently take a strategic decision to minimize their time with computer, it will take away the charm of life. In the fast modern world consciousness has been created about right weight maintenance, healthy diet, alcoholism, smoking, drug abuse etc. But the indirect and silent killer – over use of cyber space is not finding the right place in awareness creation.

To respond to the growing tribe of Net addicts, several therapists are mushrooming across the world. They are called Net therapists. Innumerable internet sites are offering online advises for Net addicts and to get rid of mail anxieties. Ironically the affected ones have to dependent on Internet for these advises. Developing countries like India and underdeveloped countries in Africa are yet to get clinics for mail anxiety treatments. Prevention methods should be put in place to avoid a large scale social disorder through the cyberspace.