I recently discovered the name of a psychological phenomenon that I have experienced for years, especially when I dry my hair. The sound of the hair dryer is so loud that almost every time, I think my phone is ringing. But it isn’t the phone. It’s my brain expecting a call that I cannot hear because of the noise.
This experience actually has a name: phantom alerts. A phantom alert (also called a phantom vibration or phantom notification) happens when you believe your phone is buzzing, ringing, or sending a message but when you check, nothing is there. Psychologists explain that it can occur because of stress, being overly alert to signals, or simple sensory mix-ups, where the brain confuses ordinary sounds or sensations for a notification.
Realising this made me think about how strongly digitalisation affects our minds and habits, often in ways we don’t even notice. At the same time, I’ve started to see more “offline” spaces appearing, like phone-free meetings, digital detox retreats, or even company away days designed to give employees a real break from constant notifications.
After all the progress we’ve made with digitalisation, it’s interesting to ask: why do we now need something like an offline space to help us take a break from technology? Also, is it really enough to recover and protect our wellbeing?
Feeling Drained: Why Our Energy Matters
These days, work doesn’t always stop when we leave the office. Many of us find ourselves checking emails, answering messages, or taking calls at home, sometimes without even thinking about it. This “always-on” way of working adds a new layer of stress and makes it harder to truly switch off.
Hobfoll (1989) explains that stress often happens when we lose important personal resources, like time, energy, or emotional balance. We naturally try to protect and build these resources, but constant connectivity can slowly drain them, leaving us exhausted, tense, or even burned out. And that’s why taking breaks isn’t just a luxury, it’s essential for our wellbeing.
Relatedly, Sonnentag and Fritz (2007) described four keyways people recover from work: mentally switching off from job-related thoughts (psychological detachment), relaxing through leisure activities (relaxation), learning or doing something new (mastery), and having control over how they spend their free time (control).
This suggests that real recovery needs a mix of activities. Just stepping away isn’t enough, doing things that help you learn, relax, and feel in control is key to recharging fully.
Cultivating Real Recovery
So, what does real recovery look like in practice?
For individuals, it’s not just about being away from work, it’s about actively restoring your energy. This means making time for activities that help you relax, learn, or feel accomplished, while also having control over how you spend that time. It could be a hobby you enjoy, learning a new skill, getting creative, or simply moving your body through exercise. The key is to choose activities that refill your energy tank, not just pause the drain.
For organizations and leaders, the message is just as clear: recovery matters, and you play a big role in making it possible. High workloads and constant demands make it hard for employees to recharge, so managing job demands is the first step. Beyond that, you can actively support recovery by encouraging breaks, promoting a culture that values downtime, and providing opportunities for employees to learn, be creative, or stay active.
At the same time, it’s important to remember recovery activities alone aren’t a magic fix. They can’t fully make up for work environments that constantly drain people’s energy. True wellbeing comes from both reducing unnecessary demands and giving people space to build their energy, during and after work. When both individuals and organizations take action, recovery becomes real, sustainable, and powerful.
Building a culture that supports focus, recovery, and employee wellbeing isn’t easy in a fast-moving workplace, but you don’t have to do it alone. Zest provides coaching for productivity and digital recovery. We do this with an evidence-based range of approaches such as Embodied Coaching, Wellbeing Coaching, Cognitive Behavioural, Strengths Based, Solutions Focused, Mindfulness, and Compassion.
Thinking back to those phantom alerts, it’s a small but powerful reminder of how connected our minds have become. In a world where work and digital life never stop, finding real recovery is essential. By combining personal effort with organizational support, we can create environments that allow people to truly recharge. When recovery is taken seriously, people don’t just feel better. They work better and live better.
References
Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513–524. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.44.3.513
Sonnentag, S., & Fritz, C. (2007). The Recovery Experience Questionnaire: Development and validation of a measure for assessing recuperation and unwinding from work. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 12(3), 204–221. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.12.3.204
Author: Busra Yilmaz Bahcecik
MSc Occupational and Organisational Psychology
Student Intern at Zest Psychology