A 7-day jungle trip ends in stress as I return to 2,000 messages

That was my rude return to "reality." As soon as I had a signal I started scrolling: reading, filtering, answering anything that looked work-related, and flagging items that needed closer attention. What had felt like a week of calm evaporated in an hour.

A woman using a smart phone. Illustration photo by Pexels

That moment made me realize how we have lost the ability to disconnect — and how quickly we take constant availability for granted. Colleagues and bosses will tag us the moment a message goes unanswered for minutes, even in the evening. In everyday life it’s obvious: at every red light people bow their heads to check their phones. The habit is brief but compulsive — born of fear of missing out, fear of being late to the party, or fear of appearing unresponsive.

We check phones in elevators, in queues, when we wake up, before lights-out. Quiet moments are filled with endless conversation threads. Being connected 24/7 means the brain never gets a proper break. Work does not end at 6 p.m., notifications keep arriving; friendships spill over into weekends via active group chats. No wonder many young people admit to being addicted to the ping of a notification.

The stress I felt was not caused by the sheer volume of messages — I used to read long books in a week. It came from the pressure: the expectation that I must read, understand, think, and respond immediately.

We need to reset this habit. Give ourselves permission to fully disconnect sometimes. And crucially, respect other people's time: if it is not urgent, wait until working hours to send non-critical messages. Let silence be a space for thought, not anxiety.