“Nomophobia is a term used for NO MObile PHOne PhoBIA. This term generally denotes the fear or anxiety caused by not having a working mobile phone at your disposal.”
Smartphones nowadays have become the most essential part of a human’s life. Using them for a longer period of time is not good for both physical and mental health of a person. However, it is necessary to have one but being addicted to it is not at all a good sign. Mobile phone addiction plays a significant role in psychological health. Nomophobia is popularly considered to be a symptom or syndrome of problematic digital media use in mental health. It is basically the overuse of mobile phones.
It further consists of two variants:
- Low Self Esteem – For individuals looking for reassurance use the mobile phone in inappropriate ways.
- Extroverted Personalities – For individuals who spend most of their time socially to access.
How To Deal With Nomophobia?
To learn ways to deal with Nomophobia, it is very important to know what Nomophobia is, what are the associated symptoms, after effects, diagnosis, and treatment. Starting with the symptoms and ending at its treatment, this article includes almost everything that you as a Nomophobic or someone you know with Nomophobia might need. Read on further to know more about Nomophobia and its treatment in detail.
What is Nomophobia?
As already stated above, Nomophobia is a collective term for the phase ‘No Mobile Phone Phobia’. This denotes a person’s fear of being detached from the mobile phone. This phobia is almost there in every individual and it rises when we couldn’t find our phone even for sometime. The condition of Nomophobia is characterized by anxious feelings when a person loses his phone, or it runs out of battery, or does not have network connectivity. All these are those fearful factors that collectively lead to Nomophobia.
Symptoms Of Nomophobia
Nomophobia is not yet a clinical diagnosis but some of these symptoms clearly state Nomophobia signs. Look at the infographic below to know the common Nomophobia symptoms.
Additional Symptoms
The symptoms of Nomophobia listed above are based on a person’s emotional and cognitive behaviour. Sometimes, they experience physical symptoms as well. These prominent physical symptoms that lead to Nomophobia are inclusive of: faster breathing, rise in heart rate, more prone to sweat, weakness or dizziness, and even, in a few cases, panic attacks.
| –Fact Check–
80% of people with Nomophobia were willing to answer a call while watching television. 40% of them would respond to a call while having a meal, and 18% with Nomophobia would be willing to answer the phone when they were in bed. |
Nomophobia: Causes
There are several reasons why a person fears being away from his cell phone even for a while. A few of those causes are explained in the infographic below stating why and what leads to a person experience the symptoms of Nomophobia.
How To Treat A Person With Nomophobia?
There are several ways to help a person with Nomophobia both medically and with the help of technology itself. Wondering how technology can help treating a person with Nomophobia? Well, technology makes its own path in every nook and corner of the world, it is able to bring solutions for all the prevailing problems and what not.
If you think that your mobile phone is digging problems in your life or you anytime experience the symptoms of Nomophobia, you should firstly talk to a mental health professional. However, there is no significant treatment for Nomophobia but talking to a few therapists, we could conclude these few recommendations. One is Exposure Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, or taking help of technology to cope up with Nomophobia. Here we recommend using the Social Fever app for Android devices to get rid of mobile phone addiction.
Install Social Fever for Android Now!
Treatments for Nomophobia: The Fear Of Being Away From Your Phone
1. Exposure Therapy
Exposure Therapy helps you to learn how to face your fears. This therapy helps you slowly and gradually deal with your addictions and get going without your phone. Take baby steps in the initial stage and progressively work on your way where you spend some time without your phone. Start from leaving it in another room to turning it off while working on something important and worth your time.
2. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
The cognitive behavioral therapy is quite useful for the people experiencing Nomophobia symptoms as it reinforces the autonomous behavior that is independent from such techno-addictions. It further addresses the negative and irrational thoughts that contribute maximum to maladaptive behavior. Seek a therapist and ask him to help you identify the thinking ways and replace these negative and irrational thoughts with those that are realistic and rational.
3. Use Social Fever App To Detach Yourself From Smartphone Usage
Another best way to cope with Nomophobia is using technology. You might be wondering how technology can help beat a digital phobia. Well, using Social Fever can help you fight against your smartphone addiction via its dedicated Phone Usage Tracker. This amazing app lets you use your phone for a confined time. All you have to do is set up time limits and this well-designed app will ensure notifying you immediately when the time limit is exceeded. It comes with an upgraded tracking engine that provides comprehensive and accurate daily reports to keep a check on your device/app usage. You can also check the number of times your phone has been unlocked.
Final Words:
If you find yourself using your smartphone excessively, or experience any of the emotional, cognitive or physical symptoms of Nomophobia, try these treatments explained above. Consult a therapist or try detaching yourself from social media or your mobile phone using Social Fever app for Android. Nomophobia is a commonly growing problem along with several other fears and behavioral addictions. Try not to be wholly dependent on your mobile devices and seek consultancy at the right time to avoid surrounding yourself with severe health issues. Be realistic and don’t force yourself to quit everything there and then. Take your time and slowly and steadily reach your goal.
Do you know anyone with Nomophobia? Share this article with them and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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