Aug 27, 2026 · 31 min · 11 segments
Constantly being “on” doesn’t just drain our energy – it can rewire our brains, blur the lines between what’s urgent and what’s not, and leave us feeling overwhelmed and disconnected. In this episode…
Romila MushtaqGuest
Neha PathakHost
So I'd like to kinda narrow us into one piece of that burnout that comes from this feeling of always needing to be on.
I think a lot of times we think about social media use, smartphones, digital detoxes necessary because a lot of what we're doing outside of work.
But if we think about what our modern work environments look like, it is being in front of a screen, being accessible at all hours, having emails that come to us all the time because of smartphones.
So for people like me that grew up without a lot of this early in my formative years, today's world of modern t- technology, all the apps, all the ways that everyone can stay connected really makes me feel overwhelmed and constantly like I have to be on.
I want to give this backtrack story of how I'm going to come to the diagnosis I'm about to give you of busy brain and how our brains are transforming with constant digital distraction.
When I gave my story as a TED Talk, companies back in 2014 started to hire me to teach stress management and mindfulness, and it gave me a window into companies and to do research to say, "Wow, I'm not alone in feeling stressed," part of a sandwich generation.
And I think regardless of industry, especially the higher up you climb in the hierarchy of your business, there's this constant global pressure to always be on, whether you're a doctor and you're always on call, you work for a company and you can't miss a sales email.
And so in chapter nine of my book, I delve into the latest research that we're still learning about digital distraction and digital ADHD.
So when I went to medical school, attention deficit hyperactive disorder was only something that was diagnosed in childhood, or what you're hearing about now is a lot of adults in the Gen X Boomer generation, especially women, were never diagnosed, and they were missed in childhood.
What we know now from the psychiatric and brain science literature in the last seven to eight years is that this use of digital devices has rewired our brain, in simple terms.
And I just want to ask you a question, Dr. Neha, 'cause I certainly am guilty of this.
Do you have your laptop, iPad, or phone with you in your lap as well, or all three?
I'm just as guilty, right? And sometimes we give ourselves an excuse of, "Oh, I'm gonna put that show on in the background and catch up on work," or you just get lost in social media.
So we've gone from just needing a single device all the time, emails, to having multiple browser windows open on multiple devices, and then it's multiple browsers windows open in our brain.
And that actually is-- Social media is designed that way, and unfortunately, most corporate cultures are designed that way, that you always have to give your attention, and that's draining, and it's rewiring our brains.
And so the conversation you and I are having, recording this podcast in 2026, is very different than even the conversation we were having five years ago as we were in the middle of lockdown because of this attention economy.
So I'd like to kinda narrow us into one piece of that burnout that comes from this feeling of always needing to be on.
I think a lot of times we think about social media use, smartphones, digital detoxes necessary because a lot of what we're doing outside of work.
But if we think about what our modern work environments look like, it is being in front of a screen, being accessible at all hours, having emails that come to us all the time because of smartphones.
So for people like me that grew up without a lot of this early in my formative years, today's world of modern t- technology, all the apps, all the ways that everyone can stay connected really makes me feel overwhelmed and constantly like I have to be on.
I want to give this backtrack story of how I'm going to come to the diagnosis I'm about to give you of busy brain and how our brains are transforming with constant digital distraction.
When I gave my story as a TED Talk, companies back in 2014 started to hire me to teach stress management and mindfulness, and it gave me a window into companies and to do research to say, "Wow, I'm not alone in feeling stressed," part of a sandwich generation.
And I think regardless of industry, especially the higher up you climb in the hierarchy of your business, there's this constant global pressure to always be on, whether you're a doctor and you're always on call, you work for a company and you can't miss a sales email.
And so in chapter nine of my book, I delve into the latest research that we're still learning about digital distraction and digital ADHD.
So when I went to medical school, attention deficit hyperactive disorder was only something that was diagnosed in childhood, or what you're hearing about now is a lot of adults in the Gen X Boomer generation, especially women, were never diagnosed, and they were missed in childhood.
What we know now from the psychiatric and brain science literature in the last seven to eight years is that this use of digital devices has rewired our brain, in simple terms.
And I just want to ask you a question, Dr. Neha, 'cause I certainly am guilty of this.
Do you have your laptop, iPad, or phone with you in your lap as well, or all three?
I'm just as guilty, right? And sometimes we give ourselves an excuse of, "Oh, I'm gonna put that show on in the background and catch up on work," or you just get lost in social media.
So we've gone from just needing a single device all the time, emails, to having multiple browser windows open on multiple devices, and then it's multiple browsers windows open in our brain.
And that actually is-- Social media is designed that way, and unfortunately, most corporate cultures are designed that way, that you always have to give your attention, and that's draining, and it's rewiring our brains.
And so the conversation you and I are having, recording this podcast in 2026, is very different than even the conversation we were having five years ago as we were in the middle of lockdown because of this attention economy.
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