Mobile phone addiction (nomophobia)

We decided to include a segment for you about mobile phone addiction, for those of you that may or may not be aware of mobile phone addiction. important things to consider are.... how do we know if we are addicted to our mobile phones? what classifies as mobile phone addiction? are there any support networks available for those of us who are addicted to our mobile phones? to what reign does our mobile phone hold over our everyday lives? is mobile phone addiction harmful?

Mobile phone addiction is alive and present, and perhaps maybe more than you would think.

An addiction is when the thing that you are addicted to begins to control your life and interferes with your daily activities, work and even relationships. A common form that may indicate you may be addicted to your mobile phone would include being on or checking your phone, as soon as you wake up in the morning and or before you go to sleep at night. Common signs of addiction include:

• finding yourself texting while driving
• checking your phone instead of working on and important assignment or report
• checking social media sites during a romantic dinner

Heres some astounding facts worth considering:

• 70% said they check their smartphone within an hour of getting up.
• 56% check their phone within an hour of going to sleep.
• 48% check over the weekend, including on Friday and Saturday nights.
• 51% check continuously during vacation.
• 44% said they would experience "a great deal of anxiety" if they lost their phone and couldn't replace it for a week.

How to mobile phone detox

Get real!

when you are with someone in person, and they are engaging with you, it is rude to divert your attention away from them. You may have such thoughts as: "oh but they wont mind" or "I just need to check that" but it is still rude. It reflects poorly upon you and your manners. its time to live in the NOW.

Have some "no phone time" allocated to yourself within the day
Many organisations have now implemented into the scheduale of their employees to take this time out of their day to recharge,  recharge and refresh. yes we understand that some occupations require you to use or be acesssible by phone in the current workforce, however it was discovered that the time away from the phone and to have a "break" from the phone proved to be more beneficial to not only the employee's and their well being but also for overall productivity. This allows focus to stay in tact as well. Take in your surroundings and be in the now.

Have a no phone call and no texting rude in the car
If you have a bluetooth connectivity in your car then its fine to receive phone calls. But text messaging while driving is definately a NO-NO! you put your own health and safety at risk along with others around you on the road. Also playing around with music and apps can also prove to be quiete fatal. This could result in death!

Dont lose sleep over it!
If you find yourself up late at night and checking social media sites, playing with apps, watching videos and or text messaging. and you are jepardizing your 8 hours needed sleep. Then perhaps its time to switch that handset off. You will be suprised how much quicker you fall asleep with no distrations. Your phone is not worth losing sleep over

Health concerns of mobile phone overuse

• Increased levels of stress- with your mind and body remaining under constant stress from frequent checking of phone at short intervals, you attention veers away from work and relationships and ultimately put them under pressure.
• Stress on fingers- as silly as it sounds the constant strain you put on your fingers from constant checking of your mobile phone can result in hand/finger spasms and cramping.
• Insomnia.
• Anxiety- waiting for messages, notifications, phone calls can cause stress and anxiety, especially when you are expected to have an online presence.
• Depression- when you are receiving the attention from your mobile phone that you require and need: " Our minds start to think “why didn’t he/she call me back?“, “why isn’t he replying to me?“, “My friends are busy texting but I am alone“, etc.
• Aggression: we become agile when we are addicted to something and not getting the desired outcome from what we want.

If all else fails, and your addiction is becoming concerning for you or those who care about you there are support networks available such as:

• Therapy or psychiatric help
• Mobile phone rehab

Dont know if your addicted?
Mobile Phone addiction test. Click here*


References:
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/addicted-your-mobile-phone-5-ways-beat-your-phone-addiction.html
http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/addicted-your-smartphone-what-to-do

By Bulesa Dover