When the natural sleep cycle of birds in the rainforest is replaced by electric lights that stay on half the night, sleep deprivation can add to the problem. Parrots are exquisitely sensitive to our emotional states. If you are anxious, worried, or upset, take a few deep breaths and leave your worries behind when you interact with your feathered friend. Many cases of feather plucking have begun when parrots mirrored their over-anxious owners' anxiety and frustration. Lack of interaction with their human flock is a common cause of anxiety.
Separation anxiety is a problem that often brings on the first episode of feather plucking.
That does not mean that they must have your undivided attention, but that they believe that you are interacting with them. Just holding the bird and making eye contact with it as you speak on the phone can suffice in a pinch. If you spend lots of time at the computer, a perch close to your desk can make your bird feel loved and wanted. When I'm working in the kitchen, I enjoy chatting with individual members of my little flock as they play on their porta-perch on the bar in front of me. Even if I'm speaking with a non-feathered friend at the bar, as long as I make eye contact with them periodically, my feathered friends seem convinced that I'm talking only to them .