"Not ale": how to get rid of telephone addiction

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

A few years ago, people used a mobile phone only for its intended purpose - to call and write SMS. Over time, gadgets have become more sophisticated and now only coffee is not brewed. A modern smartphone is a camera, a tablet, and a game console, as well as a video camera and an e-book. Of course, you can joke that life is not life without a phone, but all this would not be so funny if it were not really so sad. People have become so close to their devices that now they are panicky afraid to forget them at home or lose them.

In psychology, addiction to mobile phones and cellular communications in general has been dubbed nomophobia. This term has appeared relatively recently and stands for no mobile phobia. It is with his help that experts describe the state of a person who has lost his phone or left it at home, forgot to charge the battery or put money into the account on time, and also found himself in a place where cellular communication cannot be caught. Growing anxiety, sometimes turning into panic due to the inability to call someone close to you and the realization that they will not be able to get through to you - that's what nomophobia is.

Some people are so attached to their phones that even one day without their favorite gadget seems meaningless to them. They take their device with them everywhere and everywhere: in a cafe during lunch, for business negotiations (and often bump into the smartphone screen instead of discussing important issues) and even to the toilet - it’s more fun.

Phones have become full members of our families, which is why people almost never manage to arrange a classic romantic evening for two - with gadgets there will be at least an evening for four. And is it worth talking about dating, if we fall asleep almost in an embrace with smartphones?

Manifestations of nomophobia

1. If a person cannot find his mobile phone, then his behavior becomes similar to the behavior of a neuropsychiatric dispensary obsessed with some manic idea: he is agitated, fussy, and nervously throws things around, trying to find “his charm”. Nothing and no one can calm him down until the gadget is found. He feels as if a part of himself has disappeared.

2. A person is constantly in a state of tension, checks the presence of a mobile phone, slapping himself in his pockets or dipping his hand into a bag. Moreover, if the phone was in place five minutes ago, this will not prevent him from worrying with renewed vigor in another five.

3. It is very important for a mobile phone addict to know what has happened with friends on social networks. He updates the news feed every half hour, and he prefers to do it with a smartphone, not a laptop. In addition, he is afraid of not responding to an SMS or letter in time. In general, he should always be aware of the latest information.

It is very important for a mobile phone addict to know what has happened with friends on social networks.

4. Often a person thinks that his phone is ringing somewhere, and then he will try to do everything so that other sounds subside - immediately turn down the volume of the music, turn off the TV, just making sure that this is a sound hallucination, he will calm down.

5. The appearance of a mobile phone, its technical characteristics are very important indicators for a person suffering from nomophobia. If a new model appears on the market that is more perfect than the one he has now, a person begins to crave it. And more often than not, he buys it in the end. True, sometimes on credit.

How to get rid of nomophobia?

We do not suggest that you immediately throw your mobile phone into the trash can. Firstly, after 10 seconds you will get it out of there, and secondly, it does not make sense: mobile phones are a really necessary thing, and it was foolish to completely abandon it. However, it is worth working with your addiction and minimizing its manifestations.

1. Remember how our parents lived several decades ago. An ordinary telephone was not in every house, and they did not dream of a mobile at all. Of course, you will say that the rhythm of life has changed and it is not worth comparing the past and the present. But the fact remains: no one died without a useful gadget, just as you will not die if you find the strength and turn off your phone at least on Saturday or Sunday. You have no idea how free you will feel these days.

2. If you are left without a cellular connection for the whole day - this is not about you yet, then start with half an hour a day, and then add a few minutes. Just press the button to turn off the gadget and go about your business. Time will fly by very quickly, especially if you don't constantly look at your watch and hypnotize your phone. Such an exercise will make it easier to survive force majeure situations when the smartphone's battery explodes where it cannot be charged in any way.

Go on vacation where there are problems with cellular communication - that is, it is not.

3. Go on vacation where there is a problem with cellular communication - that is, it is not. It can be a grandmother's house in a village, mountains, forest, or even a foreign resort, where without connecting special services, you can go to a big disadvantage. Get used to the fact that the phone is always at hand, but it is essentially useless.

4. In social networks, you can stumble upon information about a game in which the creators offer to play with friends: you come to a cafe, put your gadgets on the table in one pile and do not touch them until the end of the gatherings. Whoever grabs the phone first during dinner pays for everyone. Moreover, an incoming call is also not an excuse. Try it, it is great for training the willpower of those who suffer from nomophobia.