Email seems so common now, no one even thinks twice about the blinding speed with which we can communicate today. I know you’re going to say “OK Boomer” because email is SO passé these days. Texting and other social media like Facebook and Twitter are much more widespread. However, it is still a very convenient tool to connect with someone in a more formal, businesslike way, perhaps with a potential client or employee. Plus email marketing blitzes can rake in the profits. According to L. Ceci’s July 12, 2021 article “Email usage in the United States – Statistics & Facts” at statista.com, "while today’s internet users can choose from a broad range of online networking options such as instant messaging or social media, email continues to defy its predicted demise. It has become a new type of digital currency, for valid email addresses now function as virtual keys that unlock access to online services such as banking and shopping. Today, the number of e-mail users worldwide stands at a record 4.03 billion, and by 2024, this figure is projected to reach 4.48 billion." It seems this vital form of communication is here to stay. Let’s learn more about it.
According to Wikipedia, electronic mail — email or e-mail — is a method of exchanging messages or "mail" between people using electronic devices. Email entered limited use in the 1960s, but users could only send to users of the same computer. Some systems also supported a form of instant messaging, where sender and receiver needed to be online simultaneously. Ray Tomlinson is credited as the inventor of networked email; in 1971, he developed the first system able to send mail between users on different hosts across the ARPANET, using the @ sign to link the username with a destination server. By the mid-1970s, this was the form recognized as email.
Email operates across computer networks, primarily the internet. Today's email systems are based on a store-and-forward model. Email servers accept, forward, deliver and store messages. Neither the users nor their computers are required to be online simultaneously; they need to connect, typically to a mail server or a webmail interface to send or receive messages or download it.
Originally an ASCII text-only communications medium, internet email was extended by Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions or MIME to carry text in other character sets and multimedia content attachments. International email — with internationalized email addresses using UTF-8 — is standardized but not widely adopted.
The history of modern internet email services reaches back to the early ARPANET, with standards for encoding email messages published as early as 1973. An email message sent in the early 1970s is similar to a basic email sent today.
History
According to Tom Read’s blog post “How Email Can Negatively Impact Your Mental Health (and What To Do About It)” at websiteplanet.com/blog/email-mental-health-impact, email originally started as a way for academics to share resources. Now, it’s universal and inescapable.
1965 The First E-Message
The first electronic message is sent on-campus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or MIT in 1965. MIT’s Compatible Time-Sharing System allowed users to share resources and messages on a central disk, with users logging in from separate, independent terminals.
1971 The First “@” Sign Is Used
Famous American programmer Ray Tomlinson conceives the primary method of sending emails online between computers. The “@” symbol is used to send messages to specific recipients. Previously, people could only send messages to others using the same computer.
1973 Email As We Know It
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or DARPA — a research and development agency of the U.S. Department of Defense — proposes the standard structure of an email as part of “the Internetting project.” It includes “To” and “From” fields and the “FWD” feature.
1979 The EMAIL Program
In 1978, Eric Schmidt designs an intranet messaging service called BerkleyNet.
Shiva Ayyadurai, aged 14, writes a program called EMAIL one year later. The program allowed users at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey to send electronic messages to one another. Shiva copyrighted the term in 1982.
1990 The Start of Spam
This is where things start to get stressful. Spam mail began peppering the inboxes of email users the world over. Spam was first used as a business/marketing ploy in 1994.
1992 Attachments Fill Inbox Space
The Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions or MIME protocol brings the capability of attaching files to emails. Limited inbox space means users must often frantically delete emails to accommodate attachments.
1993 Overloaded Email
AOL America Online and Delphi connect their mail systems. This is the beginning of overcrowded and stressful inboxes.
1997 10 Million Free Email Accounts
Following the release of free web-based mail services like Hotmail and Yahoo mail, email grabs the world’s attention. Roughly 10 million people around the world had a free webmail account in 1997.
1998 You’ve (All) Got Mail
AOL’s “You’ve got mail” notification is thrust into the public eye when Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan stars in a film of the same name.
1998 “Spam” Added to the Dictionary
Spam mail is a widespread issue in the late 1990s, so much so that Oxford adds the term to its dictionary. Marketers had discovered the relatively “free” prospecting approach of spam mail. Consequently, spam mail flooded people’s inboxes.
2001 Widespread Office Use
Email turns 30. Almost every business in a developed economy is now using email.
2002 EU Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications
The European Union passes a law that makes it illegal to send unsolicited direct marketing communications without the receiver’s prior consent. The EU’s law is designed to limit spam. The United States would pass a similar law two years later.
2003 Email in Your Back Pocket
The Blackberry phone launches in 2003, placing email in the pocket of businesspeople across the world. “Always-on” culture is born. With instant access to email, professionals are expected to check inboxes even in off-hours.
2004 Gmail Launches
The most popular email service, Gmail, is released as a beta for public use.
2005 Sender Policy Framework or SPF
SPF launches as a counter to spam mail, designed to authenticate incoming emails and detect forged sender addresses.
2007 Mobile Email for Everyone
Steve Jobs unveils the first iPhone, making email accessible to the masses at any time in any place.
2017 French Labor Law
The French Government passes a labor reform that gives employees the “right to disconnect.” All organizations with 50 or more employees must define a policy for email use during after-work hours. The aim is to reduce the number of employees using email after work and over the weekend.
2017 Italy Regulates Information and Communication Technology
Italy regulates information and communication technology or ICT use, approving similar laws to France.
2018 Spain’s Right to Disconnect
Spain gives citizens the “right to disconnect,” just like France.
Pressure to Reform
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic puts remote working and “always-on” culture in the spotlight. Slovakia passes a “right to disconnect” law. Ireland passes laws to monitor/mentor for better email practices. Canada and the Netherlands consider “right to disconnect” laws. Meanwhile, pressure mounts on governments that haven’t yet passed similar laws. Namely, the European Union and the United Kingdom.
“Always-On” Culture Is Bad For You
It might come as a surprise to some that email could be considered damaging for your mental health. After all, it’s part and parcel of your average day at work. Not only are employees expected to check email, they’re required to do so.
Email is a wonderfully helpful communication tool. So much so that it’s become integral to the business world. Unfortunately, however, it’s become so important that employees often feel pressured to check email out of work hours. This is called “always-on” culture, and it’s painfully common.
Almost half of U.S. workers are guilty of pandering to pressures to “stay connected.” This is extremely damaging, to say the least. One study by Future Work Centers concluded that consistent pressure to check emails is one of the biggest stressors for your average employee.
Constantly checking email after hours is stressful because it means you can never take your mind off work. Your favorite movie or the valuable time you promised to spend with your partner is rudely cut short when the boss bombards your inbox at 8pm, expecting a response.
This leads us to the next point: “always-on” doesn’t just add stress to your own free time. It affects your loved ones too.
Virginia Tech’s study found that the above effects were true no matter the amount of time spent on email. The mere expectation is enough to place pressure on your life and relationship.
People who constantly check email are not present. Too much time, mental capacity and emotional energy are spent focusing on work rather than other areas of life.
There are knock-on effects of email-related stress, too.
The expenditure and pressure it takes to stay on top of your inbox often lead to anxiety: “I need to check in with X or else Y will happen.”
Work-related stress and anxiety are not sustainable. These bring about negative thought patterns, poor sleep quality and even depression — which is why checking email outside of work is often counterproductive.
The emotional exhaustion and stress provoked by being “always-on” eventually causes “burnout” in employees. More than 15 million working days are lost from stress in the United Kingdom every year, and these effects are commonplace.
Virginia Tech’s study found that the above effects were true no matter the amount of time spent on email. The mere expectation is enough to place pressure on your life and relationship.
People who constantly check email are not present. Too much time, mental capacity and emotional energy are spent focusing on work rather than other areas of life.
There are knock-on effects of email-related stress, too.
The expenditure and pressure it takes to stay on top of your inbox often lead to anxiety: “I need to check in with X or else Y will happen.”
Work-related stress and anxiety are not sustainable. These bring about negative thought patterns, poor sleep quality and even depression — which is why checking email outside of work is often counterproductive.
The emotional exhaustion and stress provoked by being “always-on” eventually causes “burnout” in employees. More than 15 million working days are lost from stress in the United Kingdom every year, and these effects are commonplace.
What Else Is Damaging About Online Communications?
The pressure to stay connected is just one — albeit important — reason email can damage your mental health.
Funnily enough, email can be a source of stress even when you don’t check it after hours. Email clutter can be a significant problem for employees, disrupting their headspace and stealing productivity while they work — the email clutter-anxiety loop.
Email clutter can create stress and anxiety in a couple of ways. The solution is not always as simple as ignoring your inbox. The Zeigarnik effect will explain why email clutter can be a stressor.
Psychologist Bluma Zeignarik conducted experiments on 138 children. She wanted to test her professor Kurt Lewin’s theory: People forget the tasks they complete and remember ongoing tasks.
Zeignarik gave each subject a puzzle to complete. She interrupted half of the group during the task and allowed the other half to finish the puzzle. Astonishingly, just 12% of the subjects who completed the task could remember it in detail. Conversely, 80% of interrupted subjects remembered what they were doing in detail.
So uncompleted tasks stay in our minds much longer than completed tasks. This research is now backed up by popular psychological theory: We retain important information and let go of the rest.
So, how does this relate to email? People see emails as mini-tasks — checking them, reading them, answering them — so sending and receiving emails makes you feel like you’re getting stuff done. On every work email, there could be another task — a question to answer or a change to make to a document.
That’s why email can be on your mind 24/7. You can’t escape it. As your inbox begins to pile up, you can’t stop thinking about all of those incomplete tasks. Those emails need answering, and those documents need amending!
“Better check my email after work to make sure there are no more tasks I need to complete.” Wrong. Now you’re always on, too!
Clutter constantly reminds you of incomplete tasks. Your mind wanders throughout the day. You’re not present. You lose focus and productivity, so you can’t answer as many emails and complete as many tasks, which creates more anxiety and stress. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Completing tasks boosts your confidence. Failing to complete tasks lowers your self-esteem. Once you’re stuck in an email-fueled anxiety loop as outlined above, there’s only one destination: burnout!
Rude Emails
There’s one more primary email-related stressor. Rude emails have become more common since employees moved out of the office and into the home. How else is your boss meant to shout at you, anyway? Queue the all-caps…“YOU MESSED UP YOU STUPID IDIOT! WE WILL BE HAVING WORDS.” Or something along those lines, you get the picture. This is an example of “active rudeness,” as identified in a University of Illinois Chicago or UIC study.
According to employees, active rudeness is emotionally charged. It’s pretty obvious how this type of communication could cause mental health issues. Study participants got worked up because of the offensive nature of this type of message, perceiving active rudeness as mistreatment from the sender.
There’s another, more subtle type of rude email. The above study classifies these messages as a form of “passive rudeness.”
“Friendly reminder: it would be great if you could get all of your reports done today.”
The above message is not a “friendly reminder” at all. It’s a passive-aggressive command!
Of course, online communications are not perfect. We cannot attach the tone of our voice to our emails. Many emails you have sent/received could be perceived as passive-aggressive but were intended as perfectly normal, polite messages.
That being said, if you’re receiving these consistently from a colleague or boss, then it’s probably passive rudeness. Context matters too. For example, do they send you sarcastic emails whenever you miss a deadline?
Passive rudeness can also describe situations where you are intentionally ignored. Employees monitored in UIC’s study reported confusion, ambiguity and uncertainty from passive rudeness. “Is something wrong?” “Did they forget to reply, or are they angry with me?” Questions like these are not conducive to a healthy and productive mind.
Emails are stored securely and always accessible. UIC researchers found that subjects consistently returned to the site of the crime — the rude emails — to check for a response to their reply, making the effects of rude emails more damaging.
Email-Related Stress Is Gettting Worse
The effects of email-related stress/anxiety are becoming an increasingly prevalent issue.
Rude emails are not the only stressor that’s intensifying. Working from home has increased our reliance on email and other online communications. As such, it has also increased our email-related stress levels.
One study found that 44.4% of employees working from home have experienced a decline in their mental health. Employees who recently started working from home were 30% more likely to report a drop in mental health compared to those still in an office setting. Checking email is a big stressor for remote workers. For a start, employees must read and send more emails from home, making the workday longer.
According to a study of 3.1 million workers throughout North America, Europe, and the Middle East, “significant and durable increases” in internally sent emails have increased the average workday by 48.5 minutes since the pandemic began.
Another study from the University of California suggests this is especially problematic. Researchers monitored 40 office employees’ heart variability for 12 days. Heart variability is a well-known indicator of mental stress. Computer and email usage was measured alongside heart variability, which allowed researchers to determine the mental effects of email use. The report came to a definitive conclusion: “The longer one spends on email in [a given] hour, the higher is one’s stress for that hour.”
As companies increasingly rely on the internet, flexible working and a growing remote/freelance workforce, email stress will only continue to rise. The huge upturn in online collaboration/communication tools is evidence of this trend.
Slack and Whatsapp are increasingly utilized to encourage faster response rates that place additional pressure on employees. Arguably, as our reliance on technology increases, so will the stress and strain of email.
Change Habits to Mitigate Stress
Set boundaries and healthy habits around your use of email that mitigate email-related stress.
1. Learn to Switch Off
This point comes first because it is, perhaps, the most important of all. Whether you’re worried about the constant clutter in your inbox or you’re checking email at midnight, learning how to switch off will help you enormously.
Unplug after work. Literally. Turn off your devices for a while and do something else. It will teach you not to look at email in your free time.
Set strict rules for yourself. If you’re really struggling to switch off, then a no-holds-barred approach is needed. Be ruthless in the way you govern your email habits. For example, you finish work at 5 p.m. which means you finish working at 5 p.m. An email at 5:05 pm doesn’t receive a response till the next working day. This strategy will also help you shirk any perceived expectations and avoid those late-night emails.
If you’re worried about missing an emergency, don’t. Your boss will call you if there’s a genuine issue. Keep a backup phone for emergency-only calls in case they materialize.
2. Start a Nondigital Hobby
Starting a nondigital hobby is another great way to switch off. You might already love watching movies or playing video games in your free time, but these pastimes place you too close to your email inbox. Consider picking up a hobby that takes you away from your devices altogether.
Learn to play an instrument, go for long walks, meditate, read a book, join a club, volunteer or get into rock climbing — any hobby that facilitates creative thinking, social interaction or exercise.
Hobbies like these not only mitigate stress because you’re disconnected from work, they actively reduce anxiety and stress by taking your focus somewhere else or working your body physically. Both are scientifically proven to improve mental health.
3. Use a Vacation Auto-Responder
You should be thinking of nothing else but sweet, sweet relaxation while you’re on holiday. Unless you are eternally blessed, your email inbox is not relaxing. So, switch off from it and implement systems that allow you not to worry about all those accumulating emails.
Some holidaymakers will find avoiding their inboxes more stressful than actually checking them. If that’s you, that’s totally fine. Just make sure you only check your inbox once a day at a consistent prescheduled time — first thing in the morning is usually best.
For everyone else, use an auto-responder. Auto-responders are great. As the name suggests, they automatically respond to the sender’s email, telling them you are away. Your auto-responder email should include the period through which you will be out of the office. It should point urgent inquiries in the direction of a colleague or alternative contact. Reassure senders that you will respond to any remaining inquiries when you return.
An auto-responder is going to reduce the anxiety of not checking your inbox. You can be safe in the knowledge that any urgent issues will be flagged up with someone else. You won’t feel inclined to check your email or even think about it, which means you can switch off and enjoy your vacation.
4. Use Technology to Time-Block Your Day
You can set your boundaries in stone with the help of technology. Specifically, utilizing calendar invites and reminders can segment your time into blocks and remind you to value everything — not just email.
Time blocking improves your productivity by organizing your tasks for what they’re worth. Time blocking can also reduce email stress because it restricts your email habits to one or two short, predefined periods per day.
You can even block your personal time. For example, “Family time 6pm-9pm” reminds you to value home life as much as your job — if not more! Time blocking your personal time forces you to commit to that schedule rather than breaking off mid-dinner to reply to your boss.
Google Calendar is one of the best calendar platforms. It can send you reminders for specific events (time blocks), and you can invite other people so they can see your schedule. You can edit privacy settings, too, so others only see that you’re “busy” in certain time slots.
You should edit the notification settings on your social media accounts and devices to supplement this strict email checking regime. Turn off email notifications from all outside apps and social media sites. Turn off desktop notifications for emails too. Even consider turning off primary email notifications on your mobile.
5. Practice Email Etiquette
Practice what you preach. Avoid sending emails after regular working hours. If you’re a flexible worker or simply forgetful, that may not be possible. In which case, you can use email scheduling to send email drafts at acceptable times. What’s classified as an “acceptable time” may differ slightly depending on your context. The morning is always a pretty safe bet.
You should stop sending emails to recipients who don’t need them — avoid the unnecessary “reply all” — and you should make subject lines super clear as well, helping others sort through their inboxes.
When you consistently send emails in the same way you wish to receive them, you set visible boundaries. Coworkers, managers and clients will realize that you don’t operate on email outside certain hours. Setting boundaries sends the message that you’re not always available which is especially crucial when dealing with clients. You don’t want a client emailing you frantically for every minor concern.
Practice Mindfulness and Meditation
Mindfulness and meditation are two practices that are scientifically proven to provide a whole host of mental health benefits.
“Mindfulness” is a state of focus and presence, attention and awareness. Someone who’s mindful can focus on a single task with unbreakable concentration. Mindfulness means “your mind is not wandering. You’re not lost in a train of thought unrelated to what’s happening at the moment,” explained Jamie Price, president of the meditation app MyLife.
Meditation refers to the process of meditating, using mindfulness or focusing on an object, thought or activity to clear the mind for introspection. It commonly involves focusing on one’s own breath.
You can use exercises and meditation to become more mindful. It’s in your best interests, by the way, especially if you’re suffering from email-related stress.
Mindful workers can focus on other tasks without worrying about their inboxes. They work in healthier environments and, when it comes to checking email, they can do so with greater efficiency. Improved interpersonal skills mean mindful workers can respond better to issues that others may find anxiety-inducing. Crucially, mindfulness reduces stress.
Studies demonstrate that the deep breathing techniques inherent to mindfulness and meditation practice have positive effects on your mental health, calming the nervous system.
Practice Mindful Exercises From Your Desk
Outside of the tasks above, you may feel your stress levels rising. Especially when sitting at your desk.
The following mindfulness exercises shouldn’t take more than a minute, and you can perform them while at work. These exercises offer you the chance to pause, recenter and progress throughout your day stress-free.
Yawn and stretch for 10 seconds every hour. Make this a ritual. Say “ahhh” as you exhale. Notice and relieve any tension without judgment. Pause for 20 seconds, and then continue with your work.
1-minute meditation. Close your eyes and focus on your breath. Feel it going in and out of your nostrils. Feel your chest rising and falling. Bring your mind gently back to your breath if it wanders.
Love and kindness meditation. For one minute, repeat to yourself: “May I be happy, may I be well, may I be filled with kindness and peace.”
Set aspirations. Ask yourself: What is my heart’s aspiration? Pause for 20 seconds. Repeat this process a few times, and then write down your answer.
Stroke your hands. This one sounds weird, but it totally works. Take a minute to close your eyes. Stroke your left hand with your right index finger. Move it across each finger on your left hand and think about the sensations. Repeat on the other side.
STOP:
Stand up and breathe deeply. Feel your connection to the earth.
Tune in to your body. Think about and feel for any physical or emotional sensations. Expel them as you breathe and exhale.
Observe. Look around the office, be grateful for your surroundings and your coworkers.
Possibility. Ask yourself: What’s possible? What’s new? What’s forward progress as I move throughout the day?
Focus on an object for 1 minute. It could be a piece of paper or a pen. Concentrate on its shape, texture, and build. It will help you clear your mind.
Take a break in nature. Leave your phone at your desk and walk to a nearby park or serene setting. Breathe in the fresh air. Appreciate the natural world around you.
Mindful listening. Listen mindfully whenever you speak with a colleague. Empty your mind, really focus on every word. Don’t let your mind wander toward anything else.
Be mindful of everything. Always stay in the moment. Making a cup of coffee? Look at the cup. Touch it, feel it against your skin. Appreciate its design, its usefulness. Close your eyes as you take your first sip. Savor the taste. Ahhhh. Lovely coffee.
Perform This Mindful Meditation
Meditation is the perfect way to unwind as you become more mindful.
As you meditate, focus your attention on your breath at all times — your inhale and exhale — but do not punish yourself for losing focus. Instead, gently refocus on your breath.
1. First, get comfortable. Whether you sit down or stand up, position yourself in an upright
posture.
2. Feel the weight of your body where you’ve sat or stood.
3. Breathe deeply. Notice any feelings or sensations in your body.
4. Start at the top of your head. As you move down your body, bring awareness to any part
of your body that feels tense. Let go, relax those muscles.
5. Now focus on your breath. As you breathe, notice where you feel it in your body.
6. Relax and continue to concentrate on your breath. Follow the sensation of each inhale or
exhale.
7. Acknowledge any sensations, thoughts or feelings that arise with openness and curiosity.
Calmly return focus to your breath.
8. Continue to meditate for as long as you’d like, gently return attention to your breath when
necessary.
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