Nomophobia Or The Addiction To The Smartphone

The problem with nomophobia is that the addiction to the smartphone makes you more and more isolated and replaces conversations with friends with superficial chats. 

Can’t go out of the house without your cell phone? Do you get nervous when you think your cell phone battery is almost empty? Do you always have the charger with you wherever you go? If you are so dependent on your smartphone, you may have  nomophobia!

New technologies make life easier for us in various ways. However, improper use of electronic gadgets can turn this benefit into a negative and make it a major problem.

Although only a few actually suffer from proper nomophobia ,  very many have unhealthy habits and are too dependent on their cell phones,  which could lead to problems for these people in the future.

How do I know if I have nomophobia?

Nomophobia does not develop overnight. Rather, it is the consequence of certain habits that can be very unhealthy.

It gradually comes to this when every time you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation (before an interview, in the queue, when you are waiting for a friend …), you pick up your cell phone to calm yourself down.

The smartphone sometimes becomes a “best friend” that prevents you from feeling alone. When you drive to work or wait for someone on public transport, your cell phone is immediately at hand.

However, this can get worse if you try to console yourself with your cell phone for emotional issues. You’re constantly checking for new messages,  even if you weren’t expecting one, or unable to wait to reply even if it’s in no hurry.

By looking at different aspects, you can become more aware of whether you have nomophobia or not:

• You’re constantly nervously  checking to see if there are any messages on your cell phone.
• When you run out of battery or don’t have an internet connection, you get nervous and feel cut off from the world.
• You are constantly publishing what you are doing, what you think and what is going on at any moment.
• You keep checking how many “I like” your comments have received,  which increases your need to share experiences.
• You sometimes think you hear the melody of an incoming message, but that’s just my imagination.
• When you are with friends, you still have your cell phone at hand. Sometimes you can no longer follow the conversation because you are busy with your smartphone.

We are networked with many, but still lonely

Perhaps you suffer from nomophobia because you depend on the networking that new technologies make possible.

It doesn’t matter now whether the family is on the other end of the world, because the smartphone means they’re still very close. A quick message, a phone call or a video call can cover all distances quickly. There are no more limits!

But even though we are networked with many, we often feel more lonely than ever.

It is no longer necessary to go out on the streets to find a life partner, and you can also go shopping from the comfort of your own home. Many also work at home and save themselves the trip to work.

But do you experience real life through electronic devices? Can the smartphone replace a direct conversation where you look each other in the eye?

We live an unreal life

People with nomophobia post all the details about their life on social networks and are constantly dependent on the publications and comments of others.

But what they see doesn’t necessarily have to be reality.

• Many couples who post happy photos are going through a profound crisis. 

• The friend who keeps posting positive sayings may have severe depression.

Everything you see in social networks is what the others want to show of yourself. But what is actually behind it?

When someone has nomophobia, they constantly compare their life to that of other people and feel bad when they see others having fun bungee jumping or enjoying a stay in New York while they are only at home on the sofa sits and followed everything with the cell phone.

Affected people cannot avoid constantly checking the news on their social networks. You are dependent on the smartphone and can not leave it.

Even if they do not see the reality, even if the photos may have been falsified with Photoshop, searched on the Internet or taken years ago: people with nomophobia do not become aware of this.

A person with nomophobia suffers greatly. If she is unable to control her addiction to the smartphone, it  can lead to episodes of anxiety and stress,  which can also cause severe depression.

You don’t need your mobile phone all the time, don’t let a device control you, take control of your life yourself! Life does not take place in a device, but in direct contact with your fellow human beings.