Unplug to Recharge: Coping with Tech Burnout in 2025

It’s 2025, and we live in a world that never powers down. Notifications blink at us from every corner — smartphones, laptops, smartwatches, even our refrigerators. We are always reachable, always expected to respond, and often silently judged by how quickly we reply. With so many devices competing for our attention, it’s no surprise that tech burnout has become a very real mental health issue.

As someone who struggles with overstimulation and anxiety, I’ve found myself deep in the throes of tech burnout more times than I can count. It creeps in slowly: increased irritability, brain fog, scrolling endlessly yet absorbing nothing, and a deep resistance to even picking up my phone — despite the compulsive urge to check it every few minutes.

This feeling isn’t unique. In fact, more and more people are speaking out about this digital exhaustion — especially after years of remote work, online school, and a social life filtered through screens. What used to be a lifeline has, in some cases, turned into a weight.

So let’s talk about it. Let’s talk about tech burnout, how it affects our mental health, and how we can begin to reclaim some balance.

What Is Tech Burnout?

Tech burnout isn’t just feeling tired after staring at a screen — it’s a mix of mental, emotional, and even physical symptoms that stem from prolonged overuse of digital technology. Some signs include:

• Feeling drained or anxious after using your phone or computer
• Dreading notifications or messages
• Compulsively checking devices without purpose
• Difficulty focusing or remembering things
• Physical symptoms like eye strain, headaches, or poor sleep

In 2025, we’re more connected than ever, but that connection can come at a cost. Our nervous systems were never meant to process this much information at once. The constant barrage of emails, messages, news updates, and algorithms vying for our attention can leave us overstimulated and disconnected from ourselves.

How Tech Burnout Affects Mental Health

When we’re in a state of constant digital stimulation, we often sacrifice the stillness our minds crave. We begin to lose the ability to be present. And when our minds never rest, anxiety builds. Sleep suffers. Attention spans shrink. Creativity dims.

For people already managing mental health conditions like anxiety, ADHD, or depression, tech burnout can worsen symptoms. It also contributes to “doomscrolling” — compulsively consuming bad news or content that further dysregulates the nervous system.

There’s also the isolation factor. Ironically, being constantly online can leave us feeling more alone. We start comparing our lives to curated highlight reels and lose touch with the real world around us.

Ways to Cope and Reclaim Your Mental Space

1. Schedule Device-Free Time

Treat rest like an appointment. Block off parts of your day where you intentionally stay off your phone or computer. Start small — even 30 minutes without screens can help reset your brain.

2. Digital Boundaries

Turn off non-essential notifications. Use “Do Not Disturb” modes. Create tech curfews — no phone an hour before bed or first thing in the morning.

3. Curate Your Digital Space

Unfollow accounts that drain you. Mute conversations that overwhelm. Surround yourself with digital content that soothes or inspires instead of stresses.

4. Reconnect with the Physical World

Engage your senses: go outside, cook, draw, stretch, or play music. Even simple rituals like lighting a candle or journaling can help ground you.

5. Use Tech Intentionally

Technology isn’t the enemy — it’s how we use it. Ask yourself before logging on: What do I need right now? Connection? Information? Distraction? Then choose your tools accordingly, not automatically.

Final Thoughts

Tech burnout isn’t about hating technology. It’s about recognizing when something that once helped us starts to hurt us — and taking the steps to heal.

We don’t have to throw our phones in a lake to find peace (though, let’s be honest, some days it’s tempting). But we can carve out pockets of stillness in our days. We can take breaks. We can remember that we are more than our notifications, our screens, or our productivity.

In a world that’s always online, sometimes the most radical act of self-care is to simply unplug.

And in doing so, you may just find yourself again.

With Kindness,

Briana