What *is* new is:
- Being ‘always on’ with no time for reflection
- Getting pinned to our desks, so we hardly move
- Being inside during the day…
- …whilst being exposed to light after dark
- Eating artificial food at irregular hours
- Interacting with others via screens vs face to face
- Recovery activities that closely resemble work
- Trying to process all of the world’s problems at the same time
- Keeping a device specifically designed to be addictive, right next to our heads whilst sleeping
- Seeing recovery time as optional, as opposed to a necessary precursor to success the next day
All of these are part of what I call the ‘flat line’ way of working – an unnatural way of working which leaves us frazzled and fighting our biology.
In my research, 25% of people identify as being entirely on the flat line and 76% of people feel like they are partly on it most of the time.
The flat line has become the fertile soil in which anxiety, depression and burnout grow.
We need to find a way to live and work which is more in tune with what it is to be a human. Recognising the flat line is the first step, so if you aren’t sure whether you are ‘flat lining’, you can take our free assessment here.
