That new technologies are transforming our lives is a fact that must be accepted. There are many who are frightened by the degree of dependency they carry, however, we cannot ignore that we need them, whether we like it or not.
So the only thing we can do is learn to use them responsibly to prevent them from harming us. How can they harm us? Of many ways; in the case of mobile phones in the form of nomophobia, which makes us unable to leave the house without the mobile.
Not without my mobile
- We are concerned about the crisis, the destruction of the environment, the end of the world, a nuclear catastrophe and even some meteorite that takes the wrong path. Of course we are concerned, however, the announcement of the Apocalypse did not cause the degree of anxiety that running out of battery on your Smartphone generates. What at first may seem like a superficial problem is becoming one of the diseases of the 21st century: nomophobia.
- Nomophobia is the irrational fear of leaving home without a mobile phone and it affects more and more people. It is a disorder that causes irritability, nervousness, lack of concentration and anxiety, in addition to increasing stress levels in an alarming way. And it is that we have become dependent on the Smartphone, uniting our private and professional lives in the same device, which is why we end up being available 24 hours a day.
- Surely it has happened to you more than once, surely you have felt something similar to panic when you go out into the street and, as soon as you close the door of the house, the question arises as to whether you are carrying your mobile phone or not. Before this only happened with the keys, which have now gone into the background. And if you exercise honesty with yourself, you’ll recognize how nervous you get when you’re in a place without coverage and how uneasy the battery icon on your phone causes you.
Control nomophobia
- That compulsive attitude of looking at the Smartphone screen every few minutes to see if they have called, if they have answered our WhatsApp, if we have a message on Facebook or if an email has arrived, is not only taking its toll on us in the form of isolation progressive social circle, it can also cause psychological disorders, such as nomophobia, but also as the Phantom Vibration Syndrome.
- The main consequence of these disorders derived from the use of mobile phones is anxiety, something that we are interested in keeping at bay. So, we have to learn to control the use of the Samrtphone and get rid of our dependency as much as possible. It is not about forgetting your phone and not answering any calls, but about limiting the hours of use. It is not necessary that you have your mobile at the table during a family meal, surely any WhatsApp can wait.
- Nor is it necessary to put your phone under your pillow when you go to sleep, just in case you don’t hear the notification. Be careful with that because the mobile is one of the main reasons for insomnia. And try to turn off your Smartphone (or if you can’t, at least leave it silent) at specific moments like at the movies, when your friend is depressed or in the most intimate moments with your partner.
