Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Nomophobia: No Mobile Phobia
Nomophobia is the fear of being out of mobile phone contact. At least that's what a survey done by the Post Office of British mobile phone users has found. Up to 53% of mobile phone users, or 13 million Britons, may be afflicted with nomophobia.
These days mobile phones have become lifelines for connecting to family and friends and have grown more and more powerful, not only acting as phones but also like mini-computers letting you send email, check the news, and surf the web. Not to mention your job might depend on being constantly reachable by mobile phone. No wonder people are feeling stressed out about their phones.
Ask yourself: do you feel anxious if you see your cell phone running out of battery power? Are you nervous if the number of signal bars, indicating signal quality and strength, drops to one? Do you worry about losing or forgetting your phone?
If you said "yes" to any of these signs of nomophobia, the Daily Mail has some suggestions that you can use to ease your pain:
Researchers advise those keen to avoid nomophobia to keep their credit topped up, carry a charger at all times, give family and friends an alternative contact number and carry a pre-paid phonecard to make emergency calls if your mobile is broken, lost or stolen.
Other tips include keeping a record of your numbers in case you lose your handset and carrying the phone in a closed pocket or bag to avoid loss or theft.
Of course, to completely cure yourself, try spending some quality time away from your phone.
