Whats Nomophobia? And How To Get Rid Of It?
Nomophobia is the short term used for “No-Mobile-Phone-Phobia”. It is basically the fear of NOT having your mobile phone with you. The mobile phone addicts constantly suffer from this behavioral disorder. Are you a mobile phone addict? Well, to check that you do not need to book an appointment with the doctor and visit him, all you have to do is answer the questions below.
· Do you feel reluctant to be without your smartphone, even for a short time?
· Do you find yourself mindlessly passing time on a regular basis by staring at your phone?
· Do you seem to lose track of time when you’re on your smartphone?
· Do you find yourself viewing and answering texts, tweets, and emails at all hours of the day and night (even if it means interrupting other things you are already doing)?
· When you eat meals, is your smartphone always part of the table place setting?
· When your smartphone rings, beeps or buzzes, do you feel an intense urge to check for texts, tweets, emails, updates and so on?
If “yes” weighs more than “no” when answering these questions, then my friend, congratulations, you are one of those million addicts! Just because this behavior is comparatively normal as compared to those who are drug addicts, that doesn’t mean that this addiction is not worrisome.
The Stats Of This Addiction In The UK
You might feel that this article is getting overdramatic by every paragraph, but this disorder is real and we cannot ignore the fact that all around the globe, millions of individuals are suffering from this addiction.
In the UK adults check their phones about 33 times every day. And if we talk about the youngsters, it exceeds above 80. On the average, Britons are spending more than two hours a day on their phones that makes 14 hours a week, or 30 full days a year of mobile phone usage. More than a third of UK adults look at their phones within five minutes of waking up and over half do so within 15 minutes.
The Main Culprit Of This Addiction
To get a better understanding of this addiction, let’s dive into the depth and find out what is triggering this addition?
The culprit behind this mobile phone addiction is the chemistry of the brain. There is a chemical in our brain that triggers the cravings for the mobile phone. Whenever we check our mobile phone and find something waiting for us, for instance, a news update, a comment on a post or an urgent email etc. the mastermind sitting on the top of our bodies, releases a chemical called dopamine.
Now, Dopamine is a highly significant chemical and one of the tasks that are assigned to it is to make the human body to sense the environment by indicating what it should remember and pay attention to. These tend to be the things that activate some sort of emotion, whether it is the emotion of pleasure, rage or sympathy. Now, it is in the human nature that they get attached to anyone they are closed to or anything that they use. If an individual is spending his whole day using a mobile phone, directly or indirectly, obviously he will get attached to it. And our clever mobile phones can easily trigger all these emotions.
With the passage of time, the association becomes so strong that it is released any time even when we think about our mobile phones, which makes us crave for them. And what is not there to crave for them? Our mobile phones are our cameras, they are our radios, our means of communication with our beloved family and friends, they are our personal encyclopedia, guides us way to our destinations, etc. Mobile phones are the complete package and a perfect tool that make our lives easier.
But on the other hand, it brings out the complete idiot from us. It sits by our plates on the dining table, it interrupts us whilst we are talking to our elders, makes us lazy by doing our simple tasks by just one click, distracts us whilst we are busy at work or studying, disrupts our social life. What more evidence would we need over this fact that we take it to the loo with us!
But something about them makes us act like idiots. It has become normal to place your phone by your plate at mealtimes, to interrupt a conversation just to accept a call and to be so attached to that small slab that you think nothing before taking it with you into the loo.
Although, a mobile phone is a very small sized slab yet its effects are enormous. Its functionality makes us addicted and that damages our mental and physical health horribly. A research has revealed that spending extended time on mobile phone changes both the structure and the function of your brain, including your ability to create memories, think deeply and focus. Moreover, they can even cause psychiatric problems such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Ways Of Getting Rid Of This Addiction
Drug addicts are sent to rehabilitation centers where they could get a proper treatment that helps them in getting rid of their addiction. But, unfortunately, this passive addiction does not have any rehabilitation centers. So all you have to do is to have a strong will to get rid of it and work on it.
Recognize It
Any disease or damage can only be treated or cured once it is diagnosed. You will only be able to get rid of this addiction once you will recognize it and accept that you do actually have it. So if you suspect of using your mobile phone to an extent that it has become an addiction, set a few boundaries.
A good way to start this treatment is by downloading a tracking app to monitor how often you reach for your phone and how long you spend on it
Use Alarm Clock
The intensity of this addiction has reached to the levels where more than a third of UK adults look at their phones within five minutes of waking, and more than half do so within 15 minutes, while 38 percent check their phones during the night. That’s insane!
Obviously, we do not realize that our life is controlled by it because its effect is passive. So if you want to fight for your control and get it back in your hands, cast it out of your bedroom premises. Your mobile phone should not be allowed in your bedroom, not even as an alarm clock!
If you have a problem getting up by yourself, go old school and buy yourself an alarm clock. Do not feel bad about it because the sole aim is to make checking your phone a deliberate choice rather than an automatic habit. And always try to keep it in your mind.
Phast Time
Phast time is the time for you to go on a phone fast. The purpose of fast is to reduce the usage of mobile phone and get you rid of its habitual usage. Phast will act as a detox against your mobile phone addiction.
Schedule a phone free time on a daily basis. Either take 30 minutes or an hour, just keep your mobile phone aside and take a break from it. You can do anything in that period of time like, walking the dog, playing with your cat, reading a book, sketching, writing a diary etc. The more regularly you will past, the more you will be able to resist it.
Zonal Restrictions
The studies have revealed that having a mobile phone even placed on the table can affect your conversation. When you will have it in front of your eyes, your addicted mind will want to access it and will distract you from building a good conversation.
To tackle this issue, there is a simple solution which is to establish certain zones or areas where the mobile phone will be prohibited. Banishing mobile phone from the bedroom will help you sleep better. Restricting it from dining table will help you eat better. Entering the study area without this clingy gadget will help you concentrate on your studies.
Make It Less Appealing
What is in the mobile phone that makes you use it again and again? Its features and most notably, the attractive applications such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. These social applications are getting updated every second. The new stories and posts attract you towards it and hence, keeping you busy using them.
Though, it is hard to resist such attraction and even harder for an addict, so just turn off the notifications so that you won’t be pinged every now and then. It is one effective way of keeping your mind off them. And if the magic of this trick is not working on you, remove such tempting apps from your mobile phone. Only keep the most useful and life-enhancing ones such as; maps, photos, music etc.
Sell It
After all of the above-mentioned strategies, if you are still unable to keep your mobile phone obsession on a leash, sell it! Don’t let your addiction wander you off this idea of selling by making you question “How can I sell my old phone?” or “Is my old phone worthy enough to sell?” because Yes it is enough worthy and Yes there are plenty of ways to sell your old mobile phone.
The easiest one is to sell your old phone online through comparison websites. Yes, it is also safe if you find yourself an authentic and guaranteed website like SellTheMobile, which is located in the UK. It is a mobile phone price comparison website that helps you compare prices for your used mobile phones from different recycling companies. Select the price that suits you best and sell your old phone.
