Do you suffer from "nomophobe" or an intense fear of "not having a mobile phone" on your hands?
This term is used to describe addiction when you feel genuinely afraid of being separated from your smartphone.
In a Harvard Business School survey of 1,600 managers and professionals, 70% of respondents said they checked their smartphones within an hour of waking up, more than half said they checked their phones frequently while on vacation, and 44% said they would experience "a great deal of anxiety." If they lose their phones.
4 out of 5 teens in the US sleep with their smartphone within reach, either next to their beds or on top of their body so messages from friends can wake them up, which can lead to "junk sleep" syndrome.
In addition, in recent years, a new danger has appeared that affects smartphone users, especially teens, called sleep texting, and it occurs when people send text messages while they are sleeping without remembering that they sent them.
This is due to insomnia caused by smartphones, which is also a growing problem, as tablets are replacing paper books and passive screen e-readers.
According to Medium, online analytics company Chartbeat found that Americans spent 173 million hours reading about former US President Donald Trump on their phones over the past four years, which is more than double the time. They spent reading about it on their laptops or desktops, and those 173 million hours is enough time to clean all the beaches of plastic debris.
Mental and physical health risks
Lifehack lists some of the side effects of mobile phone addiction of negatively affecting relationships, negatively affecting your performance at work, and not being able to focus in school if you are a student.
Just as smartphones are full of germs, you put them on any surface you find, right?
According to Robert Locke, author of the stories in his article on Live Hack, any hypothetical addiction that can alter your mood is dangerous.
So, if you look at your mobile phone 150 times a day or are worried that this will become a dangerous addiction, try these things instead of looking for your smartphone.
Knowing that changing your relationship with your phone will not result in a loss of money, friendships or opportunities, instead, it will be an opportunity for you to take your life back and start making logical and sound plans to control your time.
Acknowledging that your smartphone has taken over your life is the first step in realizing the severity of the problem (pixels)
Admit your smartphone has taken over your life
This is always the first step in any addiction treatment.
You have to face the fact that you have a problem, and after realizing this decide to do something to change everything.
Download the smartphone addiction app
There is an app that helps you pause your smartphone as if you were traveling by plane, giving you feedback on how long you've been in touch with your phone so you can do better next time.
Some applications disable your web browser, reject phone calls, and send automatic text messages.
Don't reply to emails right away
Tell your colleagues that you will not reply to emails immediately, and that you will only check urgent messages every 3 or 4 hours.
This takes some of the pressure off you and lets you relax as they don't expect an immediate response from you anyway.
Tell your colleagues that you will not reply to emails immediately and will only check urgent messages every 3 or 4 hours (pixels)
Choose face-to-face interaction whenever possible
The rule of thumb is if your email correspondence includes more than 4 exchanges, it's time for a real interaction with the person sending you these messages, go to their office to finish the topic, you can also leave the smartphone on your desk, the world will not end while you are away about your phone.
smart home base
Establish your own home rule. When you invite someone to dinner in your house, they will not be allowed to use their mobile phone unless absolutely necessary, urgent or bad news. Try to leave your phone at home when you go out shopping or when you go to a friend's house.
Don't take your phone to bed
Turn off your phone two hours before bed, and do useful activities such as reading or physical activities that make it easier for you to fall into a deep sleep.
Turn off your phone two hours before bed (Shutterstock)
Read a paper book
We know you have all those e-books on your device, but you have to enjoy reading the pages of a real paper book.
Go for a walk
Go out for a walk.
Get fresh air and start breathing deeply again, knowing that you don't need your smartphone to do this activity.
Set time limits for yourself
When you're doing a task at home or at work, try turning off the phone and telling yourself that you're not allowed to hold it again until the task is complete.
Keep your smartphone out of your sight
If the smartphone is on pause or silent mode, you may have the opportunity to enjoy a movie, listen to music, or even cook something nice for dinner.
Don't risk your life
If you find that you need to focus on something important like driving a car or crossing the street, decide to turn off your phone or at least put it away.
Imagine you're back in the 80's
The eighties are the absolute bliss for some people, there were no smartphones at that time, you might wonder how people used to spend their free time, but they were sure that they were living life and not watching it from behind the screens.
Take care of the first minutes of the morning الصباح
The first moments after sleep are the times when we are most in touch with our subconscious mind, and are able to be creative.
Save those precious minutes to focus on something other than your phone.
Keep a diary of your dreams
Keep a dream journal by your bed.
Record in it before you sleep your thoughts, dreams and visions for the future, as these dreams may dissipate in the morning light.
Have a spontaneous conversation
Many people say they send texts or emails instead of having a phone conversation because they fear the spontaneity of the actual conversation or the wrong time, but what's the harm?
Let's go back to spontaneity again. It is better than deaf messages.