Know Nomophobia, Excessive Fear of Being away from Cell Phones

Nomophobia is the extreme fear that a person experiences when he is away from his cell phone. People who have this condition may feel natural and often associate it with the demands of work. Although it seems trivial, nomophobia needs to be watched out for because it can interfere with health.

Nomophobia or no mobile phone phobia generally stems from addiction to cell phones. When a person has nomophobia, he will constantly worry every time he can't use or check his cellphone.

This worry can even make people with this phobia feel stressed, anxious, or panicked, and even experience physical symptoms such as shortness of breath and heart palpitations.

What Causes Nomophobia?

The exact cause of nomophobia is not known. However, this phobia most likely arises because of the desire to always check work from the cellphone or experience FOMO, which is excessive worry when not knowing the latest information or news.

Nomophobia can also arise due to feelings of fear of loneliness or fear of losing other people if we are not constantly connected to each other through cellphones. In addition, the loss of a cellphone in a traumatic past can also trigger nomophobia, for fear of repeating it.

What are the Symptoms of Nomophobia?

People who experience nomophobia will of course find it difficult to overcome or manage the fear and panic they experience. To avoid this, people with this phobia will do whatever it takes to keep the phone close at hand, so they can pick it up and check it out easily.

In addition, behavioral traits that describe nomophobia may include:

• Hold your phone wherever you go, for example on the toilet or even on a busy street
• Checking the phone constantly, even several times in 1 hour to make sure that the phone is working and does not miss any notifications from the phone
• Breaking the rules to play with your phone, like playing with your phone on an airplane
• Skip planned activities or events to spend time on your phone

Like other phobias, nomophobia can also trigger psychological and physical symptoms. Some of the psychological symptoms of nomophobia that can be experienced, namely:

• Excessive worry, fear, or panic when thinking about losing your phone, being away from your phone, or not being able to use it
• Anxious and restless if you have to put your phone down or know that you can't use your phone for a while
• Anxious when you can't check your phone or when your phone's battery runs out
• Pain too much when you can't find your phone in a short time

Meanwhile, some of the physical symptoms of nomophobia include:

• Chest feels tight
• Heart pounding
• Difficulty sleeping or insomnia
• Shaking
• Sweaty body
• Dizzy
• A feeling of fainting

Staring at the cellphone screen for too long will also cause health problems, including neck pain, wrist pain, and even decreased vision quality.

How to Overcome Nomophobia?

Nomophobia that is new and soon realized will generally be easier to overcome on your own. There are various steps to deal with nomophobia independently, namely:

• Turn off your phone at least 1 hour before bedtime to get a better night's sleep.
• Put the phone in a place out of reach when going to bed, if necessary, put it outside the bedroom.
• Set aside time for hobbies, such as drawing, sewing, or reading.
• Try to leave your phone at home for short periods of time, such as when shopping or walking around the area.
• More direct interaction with family, friends, or coworkers.

Frequently using your cell phone or worrying about your cellphone doesn't mean you have nomophobia. This is still considered normal if you only use your phone occasionally for essential needs.

However, if the symptoms of nomophobia that you experience have lasted for 6 months or more, especially if the use of cellphones has spent a lot of time and hinders daily activities, immediately consult a psychologist to get the right treatment, one of which is psychotherapy.

Label : Health cat_Health