How to stop the Fear of Switching Off from ruining your life

Similar to FOMO, and with a similar meaning at that. The acronym ‘FOSO’ refers to the Fear Of Switching Off, simply describing the anxious feeling we get when we take time off work or spend time away from our devices. As I say, it’s similar to the acronym FOMO, but for work, and applies to emails, messages, social media, and notifications.

So, why are we struggling to switch off?

More than one-third of us have difficulty switching off outside of work hours. Anxiety about being offline can be exacerbated by a combination of technology, work pressure, and social media. We are reachable around the clock, which can cause work-life boundaries to blur. Social media frequently glamourizes hustle culture, leading us to believe we must work harder. Not only do we worry about losing critical information, but the prospect of returning to work can also be stressful.

Why you need to fight the fear

Rest is critical for being your most effective self—not only at work but throughout your life. Spoiler alert: nothing is generally that urgent. Relaxing your mind and body is essential for thinking creatively, working efficiently, and being present in your daily life.

Similar to what I stated in my previous blog about both boredom and stress, FOSO ties into that as we gain that same feeling of stress from not keeping up-to-date with social media, work, or any messages we may have potentially received and neglected.

I know the feeling. You’ve been working all day and want to switch off and watch TV or try and spend time with your kids but that feeling of ‘FOSO’ keeps nagging away at you, giving you that feeling of missing out, and therefore, you check your phone to which 99% of the time you find that you haven’t missed out on anything. However, due to the fact that it’s possible that you could be missing something important, that same feeling fails to ever go away and keeps you from staying present and in the moment as you’re always feeling like you need to be up-to-date 24/7, with you always in the same cycle of FOSO (fear of switching off).

According to a 2016 study, employees are stressed not just by the time they spend responding to emails after hours but also by the anticipation of having to answer after-work emails. People are feeling unable to switch off due to the expectation of constantly being reachable. Despite the fact that we all know and comprehend the benefits of rest, we are caught in a digital-age conundrum: how to balance the need to always be connected with the need to unplug and relax.

Why do we suffer from FOSO?

This “always-on” state, aggravated by work-from-home technology and the urge to be hyper-productive, has all contributed to the growth of FOSO. Many of us are afraid of slipping behind, missing out on important knowledge, or simply being stuck in a pure habit.

Technology

Being continually linked through technology allows us to work around the clock from wherever in the world. This increases the fear that people will miss out on information, feel bad if they aren’t being productive, or feel pressured by their bosses to respond to emails even beyond work hours.

Blurred work-life boundaries

Working from home and merged work cultures have become prevalent in many businesses since the epidemic. Working at the dinner table has blurred the work-life divide that existed before the pandemic. Additionally, because we are not seated at our desks, employees may feel the need to prove that they are working, which could lead to their reluctance to turn off.

Social Media and Productivity

In contrast to FOMO, or the fear of missing out on social events, social media might lead to FOSO in a different way. ‘Hustle culture’ and online success stories of those who have worked incredibly long hours to become 'successful' could make people (admittedly, like me) feel compelled to labour constantly towards similar successes. There is always a new method to be more productive, and social media may make working long hours and being hyper-productive appear somewhat desirable.

Adding a personal note to this, I’ve summarised all of my personal issues with working around the clock above, and to this day, I still have these same fantasies about making success stories similar to those that you see online. I find it a constant struggle to switch off as, working for myself, I feel like I could always be productive, and therefore, struggle to turn off and wind down.

Some may see this as naive with these success stories being such great anomalies in the grand scheme of things, but my 20-year-old self sees it like this: ‘If they can do it, why can’t I’, and so I can never find myself any time to properly rest until I’ve accomplished the goal of both time and financial freedom.

I understand that saying this puts me up to a ton of stress as it’s not an easy journey, but nothing good ever came easy. Don’t get me wrong, I still find time to take a break and do things such as read a book or watch a movie with my family. But, when doing that, I always have the feeling in the back of my head that I could be doing something that gets me closer to my goals and so I’m never content. I’m aware that it could be perceived as ‘toxic’ but, now that I’m in this headspace, it’s very hard to get out of it, and again, nothing good ever came stress-free.

I could talk about this forever and explain my point of view to someone with a completely dissimilar take on this who would tell me something along the lines of ‘you need to chill out’ or ‘enjoy life as money isn’t the only thing that’s important’, and I’m more than aware of this, hence my previous blog on living in the moment, etc. But I have goals that I want to achieve, and right now I’m not in a position where I have the ability to sit back and say that I’m content, so this mentality continues.

If I were to lose this mentality, then I would fall back into the pen and live life like a feather in the wind. I’m just in search of the ability to allow myself to completely switch off when I can. And I think, personally, that comes when you have a long period of hard work to which you know you’ve done your utter best and can take time off knowing that. But also knowing that once you’ve finished those days of recharge, you go and do your utter best again, as that’s when you know you’re doing the best you physically can to get to the goal that you want to get to.

This then allows you to chill, not having to think too much about the anxieties around the fact that you could be doing more as you’re already doing that in your working periods.

Here are 6 ways I’ve found to help break out of FOSO

1) Digital Detox

Take a break with a set time, such as 1–3 days, or set aside particular times during the day to avoid using your devices. It may be at mealtimes, an hour before bedtime, or even on designated no-screen weekends. I recommend starting small and building your way up; otherwise, it’s easy to fall back into bad habits. Maybe even start by limiting your phone time to 1 hour, 30 minutes a day, to which you’ll find yourself being much more intentional with how you use it.

2) Meditation

It may sound cliché, but science backs it up. Even just 10 minutes of daily mindfulness will help you break free from the grip of compulsive device monitoring.

3) Limit Notifications

Reduce stress by turning off non-essential notifications and checking in on a regular basis. Not every ping needs your immediate attention. I personally only have mandatory notifications such as WhatsApp and Phone calls; other than that, I have everything off and I can say that it has made such a difference

4) Auto-Responders

Set up an email auto-responder whether you’re on a break or even in meetings for the majority of the day to alleviate your mind over not responding to emails.

5) Take Longer Breaks

Depending on your circumstances, disconnecting might take anything from 24 hours to a week, so make sure you’re taking longer breaks rather than just two-day weekends.

6) Get out into Nature

Nature has been shown to improve mood, reduce stress, and significantly increase creativity. So, for a morning walk (or any walk at that), leave your phone at home and spend some time in nature.

FOSO can be a real challenge in today’s hyperconnected world. However, if you remind yourself that every time you choose to turn off, you are making a choice to seriously improve your well-being, your ability to focus, and your productivity in the long run.