Nomophobia: If You Are Addicted To Your Smartphone
Are you addicted to your cell phone? Do you feel anxious when the battery is empty? Do you always carry a charger with you in case it fails? If you answered yes to this, you may be suffering from nomophobia.
There is no denying that the latest technologies have made life easier. However, if you use them incorrectly, something that was once a positive thing can become a problem.
How do I know if I have nomophobia?
Not many people really suffer from an addiction to their phone right now. However, it is true that we have certain unhealthy habits that can lead to nomophobia in the future.
Nomophobia doesn’t happen overnight. Rather, it is a result of certain unhealthy habits. Like, for example, the tendency to look at our cell phones every time we find ourselves in an awkward situation.
A cure for loneliness
In some cases, our phones turn into a companion that helps us feel less lonely in situations we find ourselves in. This can be when we are on the bus or when we have to wait for someone in a restaurant.
However, this can be exacerbated and it can make us dependent on our phones to relieve emotional stress. It can lead us to check our messages and emails when we have not received anything and it can make it impossible not to respond immediately to the messages we receive.
Self test
With this in mind, we can develop some parameters that will help us realize if you suffer from what is known as nomophobia:
- You constantly and impulsively check whether someone has sent you a message or email.
- If your phone turns itself off because the battery is empty, you immediately feel isolated.
- This also applies if you do not have an internet connection.
- You are the first person to post on social media. You post about what you think, what you do and what you have done.
- You are also aware of the number of likes your posts receive. This increases the need to publish more about your experiences.
- Sometimes you think you have a notification that you hear a message when in reality you have not received anything.
- When you are with your friends, you always have your phone in hand. Sometimes you can’t follow the conversation because you are already on the phone with someone.
We are more connected, but also more alone
The reason you suffer from nomophobia is because you feel the need to participate in the connection that technology has given you.
Now it doesn’t matter if your family and friends live on the other side of the world. With a simple message, call or video chat you can communicate with them without any problem, because there are no limits!
Nowadays it is no longer necessary to leave the house to find a partner or even to go shopping. Even more so if you work from home… you don’t even have to worry about leaving your house to go to work.
Is this real life?
But is life real if you only live it through technology? Does your phone really replace a face-to-face conversation?
People with nomophobia spend their entire lives on social media and are very dependent on their environment. However, what you can see is not always real.
- Many couples who post pictures of them being very happy are actually going through a rough time in their relationship.
- That friend who never does anything but publish positive quotes could actually be suffering from severe depression.
We live a life that is not real
Everything we see on social media is what other people want us to see. But what is the reality behind their messages?
When a person suffers from nomophobia, they will always compare their life with that of others.
While what they’re looking at can certainly be real, the photos could also be photoshopped, stolen from the internet, or from years ago.
Nomophobia is real
Someone with nomophobia suffers a lot and if they don’t solve their phone addiction, they can end up suffering from periods of severe anxiety and stress, which in turn can lead to depression.
We need to stop depending on our cell phones. You cannot fully experience life through an electronic device.
