What is Nomophobia?

It is called Nomophobia the irrational fear of leaving home without a mobile phone, which can cause anxiety and a feeling of isolation and lack of communication in a large number of users when they lose it, run out of battery or balance, do not have network coverage or remain with their mobile phone turned off. Behind this fear there is usually a highly insecure, dependent personality of others, with a high need for control, perfectionist and low self-esteem. Statistically, this condition is higher in adolescence and youth and, also, it is usually more frequent in the female sex

Every day there are more people with nomophobia

This disorder has grown in recent years as the mobile phones have become an essential tool in the day to day of almost all people. It is also related to the fact that the devices increased the benefits and the possibilities of realizing an endless number of functionalities:

• Telephone communication
• Messages and emails,
• Possibility to share news and photos instantly
• Social networks,
• Consulting news or web portals
• Online shopping,
• Search for topics of interest
• Online games
• etc.

For this reason, an increasing number of users express that the mobile phone gives them a feeling of security, of company and of.

Although nomophobia is an addiction that usually manifests itself in adolescents due to their high need for acceptance and belonging to a group, it can also affect other types of people, such as those workaholics who use their constantly to keep an eye on the latest news related to their profession, using the devices to plan and execute work without rest. For this reason, the problem cannot be attributed to use of different communication options that currently lends the mobile phone, but to the abuse that this opportunity supposes, taken to the extreme.

Symptoms of mobile addiction

Some of the symptoms that usually occur in a person with this dependence when they are unable to use their mobile phone are:

• Anxiety manifested, for example, by palpitations, insomnia or sweating.
• Sadness, feeling of isolation and loneliness.
• Instability, irascibility and concentration difficulties.
• General malaise, headaches or stomachaches, restlessness, tension and hypervigilance.
• Feeling of missing important conversations, breaking news or job opportunities, among other current trends.
• Obsessive thoughts and excessive worry about what may happen to certain relatives or close people during the disconnection time.
• Excessive need to be accepted and valued by others and a feeling of failing them if they cannot answer a message or a call at the moment.
• Immediate consultation and verification when you have the mobile in your hands again after a while, even if it is minimal, without interactivity.

How to overcome it?

It is important that a person suffering from this addiction do some of these actions if they want to try to overcome it:

• Voluntarily detach from the mobile phone during certain periods of time, leaving the calls or to answer at another time.
• Agree with the family or with oneself “without a mobile phone” spaces, such as family meals, hours of rest or sleep, certain moments of fun or leisure or during celebrations.
• Respect and focus attention on conversations with friends or on carrying out certain activities instead of constantly combining them with the use of the mobile.
• Prioritize physical reality to the virtual world.
• Be aware that life should be centered on oneself and not on communication with others. Relationships with people are important but should be considered as an extra and limited space in one's life.

• Leaving home without a mobile phone causes anxiety in some people, especially adolescents, with insecure, controlling, perfectionist personalities and low self-esteem.
• Carrying out some actions to try to overcome it is essential (voluntarily detach from the mobile at certain times ...)
• If a strong dependency has developed, it is advisable to consult a psychologist.

Psychological guidance service

All these recommendations are essential if you want to overcome this addiction. However, in cases in which a high dependence on the mobile phone has developed, the help of a psychology professional may be necessary for its definitive improvement. For, you have free access to the Psychological Guidance service, through which you have 24-hour access to a specialist in psychology.

CALCULATE YOUR PRICE