How to pause and deal with email anxiety

The expectation of immediate responses and constant connectivity adds to email anxiety. (Photo: Tim Gouw via Unsplash)

You might be hearing the term email anxiety for the first time but I am sure the feeling of opening or responding to emails immediately is something most of you must have felt, at least, once in a lifetime. Email anxiety is a widespread phenomenon faced by a lot of working professionals out there.

Experts define email anxiety as a psychological condition that arises from the stress, worry, and overwhelming feelings associated with managing and responding to emails. Several studies show that the accumulation of unread emails is associated with increased psychological distress and decreased well-being.

There could be several reasons behind feeling anxious about quickly opening or responding to received emails. Here are some possible causes of email anxiety:

Fear of missing something important

This is one of the most common causes of email anxiety. Disha Gupta, a public relations professional, says, “Among too many emails, it’s a worry: what if I miss an important piece of information, especially when I have to meet a tighter deadline?” Similarly, Bidushi Maitra, a Kolkata-based content creator, believes that her email anxiety comes from the fact that her team is based out of America, hence she finds herself always on the phone checking emails in fear of missing something important. Many others have dealt with similar emotions.

Email overload

Research suggests that the sheer volume of emails received can lead to anxiety. A study published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology found that the accumulation of unread emails was associated with increased psychological distress and decreased well-being. Rishabh Chauhan, a Delhi-based public relation consultant, says, “Each unread message carries the weight of expectation, causing our hearts to race and our minds to wander into a cycle of worry. I deal with this feeling every day and it’s real.”

Pressure to respond promptly

The expectation of immediate responses and constant connectivity adds to email anxiety. A study published in Computers in Human Behavior revealed that the perceived pressure to respond quickly to work-related emails was linked to higher levels of emotional exhaustion and work-related burnout. Snehal Manchanda, a public relation consultant, says, “The urge of being prompt is so high that even at night we answer calls or we want to respond the emails. The beep tone of the phone and laptop works like a heartbeat, if it stops then it feels like the end of our life. Being connected is good but this changing work lifestyle has a severe effect on the mental peace. Being a PR professional, I feel exhausted all the time as my mind works all the time to respond to calls and emails. It’s a hard truth, but this obsession is adequate for anyone."

Perceived social expectations

Individuals often feel pressure to maintain a certain level of professionalism and competence through email communication. Research published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior indicated that perceived social expectations in email interactions can contribute to anxiety and stress. Anshuman Bordoloi, a PR professional, says, “Mismatched expectations are another common cause of email anxiety. Anxiety over how or when they should respond to others' expectations might arise. When you feel that you can't keep up with your obligations because you naturally think that sending thoughtful and timely responses to emails is a sign of responsibility, you may experience some worry.”

Multitasking and cognitive overload

Constantly switching between tasks and managing multiple email threads can lead to cognitive overload. A study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that frequent email checking resulted in reduced cognitive performance and increased stress. Ankit Choudhary, a data analyst at Adobe says, “I am always switching between emails and data and it’s overwhelming on certain days for not being able to keep up with both.”

Experts' tips to deal with email anxiety

Set boundaries

It is important to set specific times to check and respond to emails, reducing the constant pressure of being available 24x7. Shivangi Sagar, counselling psychologist and co-founder of mental-health startup HopeQure says, “ It is essential to set boundaries to reduce the pressure of being constantly available and responsive. This can include turning off notifications, scheduling specific times to check and respond to emails, and avoiding work-related emails outside of work hours.” So, make sure you’re not checking your inbox subconsciously all the time even when you’re at a healthy break from work.

Follow my segmentation method

Mynoo Maryel, global influencer and the author of BeBook shared a proclaimed way to deal with email anxiety i.e. the 'My Time' segmentation method. “You allocate three segments of time, in your day when you only focus on your emails. These segments can be as short as 5 minutes and no longer than 30 minutes,” she says. During other times, focus your attention on doing the tasks you have set yourself to accomplish that day, she adds. This might cause a rise in anxiety for a couple of days but very soon you’ll settle into this rhythm and experience a release of pressure that automatically you will become far more adept at impactful emails.

Communicate expectations

A lot of employees feel the pressure to respond to emails immediately as there is a social expectation attached to it. Sweta Bothra, lead psychologist at the mental-health centre Amaha, says, it is important to “cultivate healthy boundaries with work so that one doesn’t feel the pressure to respond to emails during personal time/vacations.” Make sure you’re not giving your me-time or your family time to your work. Communicate your email response time to colleagues or clients to manage their expectations and alleviate the pressure to respond immediately.

Practise mindfulness

Mindfulness is a technique that involves being present and aware of one’s thoughts and feelings without judgment. Supriya Bhasin, founder of Anahat Healing, a holistic healing hub for mental-health issues, says the best way to get rid of email anxiety or, for that matter, any kind of anxiety is to take care of all aspects of one’s being that is your physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual health. Statistics have proven that a person cannot be cured of any mental health disorder till they are not cured in all aspects of their being. While physical exercise will divert your mind for a short while, mindfulness is a mental exercise that will help you deal with email anxiety and get rid of the problem from its core, believe experts.

Take an email detox

This one has got to be the best! Take a break from your emails for some time, maybe, for the weekend or a couple of days. Renowned author Robin Sharma often talks about the power of taking a digital detox. Earlier in January, in an interview with Moneycontrol, Sharma said that a digital detox is essential to pump up our creativity. Whenever you’re on a digital detox, pick a book or start a conversation, he added. Sharma loves to read books on positivity, leadership, biographies, and autobiographies. Try taking an email detox this weekend and pick your favourite book instead. It helps.

So, if you ever feel anxious to respond to an email immediately, try and control your fingers and mindfully follow the aforementioned tips. Thank us later.