As the saying goes, nothing in excess is good. And if we look at our terminals, the use we make of them can become unhealthy. We have developed a dependency on them that is far from beneficial to our health, as it can become a very powerful addiction. Therefore, below we give you guidelines to know if you are addicted to mobile and what you can do to unhook yourself.
What is Nomophobia
The irrational fear of spending a certain time without our mobile phone is known as nomophobia. It is a behavioral addiction with which we can alleviate our emotional discomfort for various reasons. Therefore, if we are using our telephone, we will find ourselves better. This behavior can become a kind of safe-conduct that we arrive at by using it compulsively, which creates a dependency.
The causes that can originate this addiction are very diverse, but the most widespread is low self-esteem . This makes us worry excessively about the opinion of others, which can serve to take refuge through our mobile. Also people who lack social skills , who have emotional dependence or who are easily influenced are other high risk factors. In fact, there are cases in which some people use the mobile to calm anxiety , but what they do not know is that it generates a greater degree that can become addicted.
As we use the telephone more and more, the feeling of loss of control of behavior begins to manifest itself, which creates panic at times when we are not using the mobile. In fact, when we do not have it on hand, either because we have forgotten it, we do not know where we have left it or it has run out of battery or coverage, withdrawal symptoms begin to appear. These can present states of restlessness, nervousness and irritability. In fact, such a high degree of anxiety can cause a conflict, both for the person who suffers it and for their environment.
Other diseases associated with mobile phone use
- Phantom call or vibration syndrome : this phenomenon occurs when we are called on our mobile. Hearing the melody or noticing the vibration, we pick it up, but we realize that we have no notification. It is a hallucination that is manifested by the excessive use we make of our phone. It arises suddenly and can affect everyone, although there is no need to be alarmed, as it happens to a large part of the population.
- Ocular tension : also known as intraocular pressure, it is a disease with an excessive increase in the pressure of our eyes. This is caused by the pressure exerted by the liquids that are inside the eyeball on our eye. Although it is due to many factors, prolonged exposure to the screen is one of the most important, and can lead to a decrease in visual acuity.
Symptoms to know if you are addicted
At this point you are surely wondering if you have any of these symptoms that indicate a possible addition to the mobile phone. There are several ways to find out.
You check your mobile every little time
Do you check your mobile frequently to see if you have any new messages? It may be that you are waiting for an important message, and in this case you are not addicted. However, if you do not receive messages or notifications with a certain frequency and as a result you feel disappointed or unhappy , it can be a clear sign of a significant dependency. In situations in which we cannot consult it, it can generate frustration and irritability with the possibility of creating even more addiction, since we do not satisfy that need.
You consult it when you get up and before going to bed
Today, this can be applied to a large number of people, especially teenagers. If the first thing you do when you wake up is to check if you have notifications or messages, and in the same way you do it before going to sleep, let me tell you that it is one of the most widespread symptoms. In fact, if you fall asleep with it in your hand and wake up the next day you still have it, you have a serious problem.
You are more aware of the mobile than of your environment
Have you ever heard the term ningufoneo or phubbing ? It is the act of ignoring the people around us to be aware of any electronic device, be it a mobile phone, a console or a computer. That is, we pay more attention to what we are seeing on the screen than to our surroundings, and sometimes we can become so isolated that we forget that we are with people. This is an indication of nomophobia, although in this case self-control can help us get back to reality.
You are not separated from him at any time of the day
If you eat with your mobile, go to the bathroom or go to the street to run errands with it, it is another very clear symptom of addiction. These types of actions indicate that we are insecure if we do not have it at hand. In fact, in the event that you forget at home or run out of battery , this insecurity can lead to the fear that we said earlier, which can cause nomophobia.
Leave things undone
Surely more than once you were chatting, playing or watching videos and when you wanted to realize it, you have not fulfilled your obligations . This can happen to us when we isolate ourselves so deeply that it seems that real life becomes secondary. It can also occur in situations where we delay the completion of important tasks, whether at home or at work.
What to do if you are addicted
There are a lot of habits you can take to avoid all mobile addiction. The first thing you have to do is avoid looking at it every five minutes. To do this, you can carry out your daily activities and tasks normally, without noticing if you receive new messages or notifications. A good way to prevent this is to leave it in another room or out of reach during the time you are busy, and when you finish everything you can refer to it again. Also, try not to consult it before going to sleep, for which you should place it away from your bed. In this way, you will also notice that you improve your sleep.
Another solution is to stay away from social networks . These applications are the ones that take the most time from us in our day to day, since we have several and we are receiving notifications every so often. Therefore, you can establish a schedule to consult them. After you have done all your chores, you can reward yourself and surf the networks for half an hour.
Finally, you can check the use you make of the mobile in the settings of your device. If you check the hours you spend a day in front of the screen, you may realize that you are bordering on addiction. To do this, you must follow the following steps:
- Access the Settings of your device.
- Inside, look for the General well-being and parental control section. In some models it may appear with the name Digital Health .
- Once here, it will show us different statistics, such as the hours and minutes of the screen, applying timers to some applications or the number of times we have unlocked the mobile. This can be of great help to reduce use, and thus you will be able to give yourself and your mobile a break and save battery life.
