Keep Breathing: Coping with Technology
| Pages | 27-30 |
| Date | 01 June 2006 |
| Published date | 01 June 2006 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/07419050610689059 |
| Author | Misha Mueller |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
Keep Breathing:
Coping with Technology
Misha Mueller
LIBRARY HITECH NEWS Number 5 2006, pp. 27-30, #Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 0741-9058, DOI 10.1108/07419050610689059 27
Almost every job available today
includes technostress ± the feeling of
being overwhelmed by technology.
Absolutely every job includes stress.
Librarians suffer the usual technology
and job stress: erupting printers,
jammed copiers, carpal tunnel
syndrome, eye strain. Librarians also
deal with patrons stressed because of
erupting printers, jammed copiers, etc.
Disclaimer: you know who you are.
You know your strengths and weaknesses.
You know your work situation, your
home situation, your health situation. I
will give you options; you decide what
works for you. I am not a doctor or a
therapist. Talk to a doctor if you have
questions about what you should do.
The following descriptions of
stretches and other relaxation
techniques include non-medical
terminology such as ``rump.''
Sitting
Ergonomics is key to relieving the
physical stress of cubicle life. It is
therefore a key component in relieving
mental stress. Sore neck and achy back
make you, quite naturally, dread going
to work. You sleep poorly. Simple
exercises may actually damage tissue if
muscles are strained. You have to learn
to sit before you can learn to relax.
Sit in your normal way. Now gently
roll aside the flesh of your thighs so you
feel like you are sitting directly on your
rump. Do you feel like you are leaning
forward, leaning back, or tilting like the
TowerofPisa?Ifso,takeamomentto
find the center. Where are your
shoulders? You do not want them up by
your ears, which is where they probably
are if you normally slouch or hunch you
back. Try to inch your shoulders down, so
it feels like the top of your head is rising.
Notice how your chin automatically
tucks down. Librarians often develop
turkey neck ± that weird wattle with
accompanying neck and spine damage
± from leaning forward with jutted chin
(deLong, 1995). Sitting correctly helps
prevent turkey neck.
By now this feels odd because this is
not your normal position. You need to
consciously practice sitting every day,
but just for a short time every day. You
cannot spend all day focusing on sitting
and expect to accomplish anything else.
Practice for ten minutes a day. You do
not have to do this at work. Do it while
watching the Weather Channel. Sitting
will become natural for you, but it will
take time.
Breathing
Panic is contagious. Seriously, it is
worse than a stomach virus. When a
patron comes to you ranting, maybe
crying, because she/he typed an entire
senior thesis without saving and the
computer crashed and she/he needs that
paper and you have to fix the computer
and retrieve the paper and print the
paper and she/he needs it right now ...
well, you naturally tense up. Your heart
pounds and your blood pressure rises.
You need to breathe. As calmly as
possible say something like, ``Ok. Give
me a minute to think about the best way
to do this.'' Mentally count to ten or 20
or 60. Catch your breath. Give your
heart a minute to stabilize before you
try to help the patron. If you whiz into
action, you:
.stoke the patron's panic; and
.go with a gut reaction which may
or may not be the best option.
The rule of thumb is: you can take 30
seconds to evaluate any situation before
reacting unless you see smoke or blood.
Very rarely do you truly have to make
an immediate decision.
That is breathing in the heat of battle.
When it is calmer ± no laughing, calm
moments do come eventually ± when
you are at your desk, practice breathing.
Get into your good sit position. Put one
hand on your navel and the other over
your heart (``Pledge of Allegiance''
style). Breathe. You want to breathe
deeply so the lower hand moves more
than the upper hand. Just focus on your
breath and the rise and fall of your
hands. Do this for one minute a day or
after any intensesituation.
Walking
Another good way to deal with
stress, especially with patron-induced
stress, is to take a walk. You can say,
``Ok. Show me the problem,'' and walk
(not stride, not lope, not stalk) with the
patron to the computer, printer, copier,
scanner, etc. This gives you those
precious seconds to catch your breath
and make a plan.
Get up and walk throughout the day.
Even though you may be sitting
correctly at an ergonomic workstation,
you still need to move. Sim Blake,
Wellness Coordinator for Georgetown
College, explains it like this:
Think about driving to a vacation spot
roughly eight hours from your home.
You stop and get out a few times for
food, gas, and restrooms. You finally
reach your destination. You get out of the
car and you are stiff. You have been
sitting in one position. Despite the brief
breaks, your arms, neck, and back are
sore.
Now what do you do at work? You sit
in one position for eight hours. You get
up a couple of times for restroom breaks,
but that is not enough (Blake, 2006).
You have to move, just like you have
to breathe. Obviously you cannot take
off and do a 5K run in the middle of
work. Instead, walk to a less-used
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