When ‘tech rage’ threatens, here are 6 ways to keep your cool

By JJ Rosen, Atiba Founder & CEO. This article originally appeared in The Tennessean.

Frustration has set in.

After nearly a year of pandemic-life, it’s understandable why anyone would be at their wits’ end. Trapped at home, worrying about everything from work to school to whether it’s safe to go to the grocery — it’s enough to put all of us on edge.

That’s why I wasn’t completely surprised when I walked into our home office to find my normally easygoing wife having a serious argument with our laser printer.

After half an hour of rebooting, downloading new printer drivers, and reciting tech-god prayers, she was no longer messing around.

No matter how much she chastised the machine, it refused to budge. With its blinking red lights and random beeps, it seemed to almost take joy in taunting her as it held its ground. She was fuming as she demanded that it print the one-page document she needed.

When tech behaves badly

“Tech rage” has always been common, even in more mellow times.

Whether it’s cursing your computer out or physically assaulting it, who among us has never felt their anger boiling over when a piece of technology fails?

As an IT consultant, I have both witnessed tech-rage and suffered from it myself here and there. Much like its more notorious cousin “road rage,” tech rage can summon up intense feelings of anger that we all know are illogical, but nevertheless are very real.

Prepare for the inevitable

So, when it’s your turn for evil tech forces to rain down upon you, how can you keep tech rage from taking over?

The first line of defense against tech rage is simply to avoid unexpected tech disasters in the first place. Proactive tech rage vaccines include:

Backup, backup, backup. This is the most important thing you can do. Having a reliable tested offsite backup (to the cloud) will reduce your stress level when you are having a bad tech day. Great peace of mind comes from knowing that no matter what happens, your data is safe.

Don’t skimp on security. A virus or malware is the most common instigator of tech rage. Since the safest fix is completely reinstalling everything from scratch, it’s worth taking IT security seriously. Update your phone and computer with the latest patches every week and use any popular anti-virus software (AVG, Norton, McAfee) to stay safe.

Replace your hardware before it breaks. Old PCs, old smart phones, and old printers become sluggish and have a higher failure rate as they age. Especially if you depend on your tech for work, upgrading every few years will reduce your tech stress levels.

But even being proactive is not a 100% guarantee of tech serenity. Just like your car, changing the oil every three months is good, but it could still break.

So, when your computer breaks and your blood pressure begins to rise, there are a few techniques you can use to reduce stress:

Use your support network. A responsive and friendly IT support company or a patient friend can quickly diffuse even the most intense tech rage. Just like a good therapist, a good tech support person who is solution-oriented and non-judgmental is invaluable.

Treasure hunt on Google. There is a 100% chance that your tech issue is not unique. YouTube, blogs, and vendor tech support sites give you the upper hand when you are in the throes of a tech battle.

Accept what you cannot control. This is the universal mantra for any stressful situation — always important to remember when dealing with technology.

In the end, my wife decided to take the “use your support network” path and call a friend. When I reminded her that I was an IT consultant and was ready to help, she reminded me that I should have replaced the old printer years ago.