Email Addiction and How to Cure It
The first step is simply identifying the problem. Some of you are already consciously aware of the symptoms, and proudly proclaim yourself to be an email junkie. Others will shake their heads and deny the addiction, but the signs are quite apparent. Ask yourself these important questions to see if you too have fallen victim to the email addiction, a malady that has spread throughout society like a computer virus, striking randomly and with little warning.
Is your first visit in the morning, immediately after waking up, the computer? More specifically, is it your email sign-in page that greets you bright and early every day along with the sun. And must you log on one last time just before going to bed?
Do you make increasingly frequent visits to your email during the course of the day, circumventing other chores and tasks in favor of the chance that a new message could be waiting in your inbox?
Do you consider the telltale ‘ding’ that heralds the arrival of a new message the very essence of beautiful music? Are those damnable words ‘You’ve Got Mail” the equivalent of a holy mantra?
Does your heart give a tiny leap of excitement when your inbox happily proclaims new messages? Does your anxious smile turn to a saddened frown if your inbox remains empty throughout the course of the day?
Has the phone gathered a thin layer of dust over it, as it lies in its cradle, forgotten and discarded like an old toy? Does your email inbox and outbox overflow with jokes, newsletters, catalog advertisements, virtual greeting cards, rambling thoughts and needless correspondence?
How many times during the course of the day do you say to yourself or others, “I need to check my email.”
Have you interrupted reading this article to check your email?
If you’ve answered yes to some or all of these questions, then yes, you are in fact an email junkie. The addiction is strong, but it can be broken. You can spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on therapy and hypnosis. You can take a baseball bat to your computer and toss the shattered fragments in the trash. Or you can try these easy tips and with a little effort, you will be able to sever the chains of email addiction.
Although the general tone of this article approaches email addiction in a lighthearted way, it is a dangerous reality for many, as the threat of an increasing addiction to email can and has ruined many happy relationships and lifestyles. While you may not think yourself capable of becoming addicted yourself, you should take care to monitor your email activity, as many email junkies do not sense the approaching addiction steadily assuming control of their thoughts and actions, until they are thoroughly entrenched.
The most important tip is to practice self-control. Until now, you may not have realized that you were an email addict. Now that the revelation has surfaced, try to remain fully aware of how often you feel the urge to check your email, and simply deny it.
Set standard intervals for checking your email, such as only three times a day, or only after a particular duty has been completed. Try to find other activities to occupy your time. Re-discover the telephone, the television, and the great outdoors. Life existed long before the advent of email, and it will continue to peacefully exist even as your computer sits idly by, unused and ignored.
Try to limit email activity to messages of some importance. No one really enjoys getting those chain emails, no matter how meaningful or funny the accompanying story may be. Resist the urge for continuous replies consisting of a single sentence, just to keep the email flowing. This feeds your addiction by forcing you to remain at the computer, waiting for the next reply.
Remove yourself from unnecessary mailing lists, and delete old messages that serve no purpose or need not be saved.
Again, as with beating any addiction, self-control is key to overcoming the pitfalls of email addiction. And beware of falling into another trap of the internet – forum addiction.
