Before smartphones, the custom was to eat food while watching television, now it is done in front of the screens of cell phones or tablets. Is health affected?
When you wake up, when you fall asleep, while going to work, during lunch, when you walk, while watching television and before going to sleep you look at your cell phonethis became a departure from reality for many and for others a extension of your body, affecting in one way or another, interpersonal relationships and mental health.
According to the National Institute of Statistics, the 96% of families They have at least one cell phone and 77% of people who access the internet do so through this device.
Just look at how at a gathering of friends no one takes their cell phone away, while studying they constantly look at themselves and even when eating with the family. People are alienated from their cell phones, they hardly share anymore, nor do they know how others were doing in their day.
The problems that arise around the use of these devices begin when for some individuals This device becomes indispensable in their livesfrom there it arises according to the EPS Sanitas.
The moment you start to feel anxious because you don’t have your cell phone at hand, whether because it was discharged, you left it at home, among others, you will realize that you have become dependent on it, to the point of stressing yourself out. or be moody.
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Besides, One of the least recommended times to use your cell phone is while you are eating.since according to 213 Japanese students between 18 and 20 years old, it shows that those who They ate while looking at their cell phones, they gained three kilos of weight. The reason for this weight gain is that looking at the cell phone deconcentrates the brain and makes it not function effectively in the satiating function that makes us stop eating.
Likewise, for health experts, individuals who They are afraid of being without a cell phone or of disconnecting from any mobile device with the Internet. They suffer from: Nomophobia.
How to identify if you have Nomophobia?
Although this phobia has not been officially classified as a pathology or behavioral disorder, it is clear that It is born as a result of addiction, from excessive use of the smartphone, to the point of social isolation.
If at any time during the day for any particular reason you do not have your cell phone for a period of time and you begin to have headaches and stomach painsnervousness, sweating, tachycardia, anxiety about wanting to use the cell phone, panic attacks, stress, bad mood or obsessive thoughts, it is likely that you suffer from this phobia.
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You can easily recognize a nomophobe because:
- He constantly checks his cell phone to see if he has received any messages.
- Steal hours from sleep to immerse yourself in social networks.
- You don’t want to go anywhere where there is no internet or mobile data coverage.
- He does not turn off his cell phone at any time.
- He is always looking for an outlet that allows him to recharge the battery.
Tips to reduce nomophobia
Cell phone detoxification It is one of the most recommended tips by doctors and specialists, such as the director of the , Raúl Ortiz, who recommends that the process be progressive. During this, you must begin to think of the telephone as a tool and not as an instrument to evade reality.
If you have this addiction, some actions can help you in your daily life to improve:
- Put away your device when you meet with others and when you are alone
- Turn it off
- Delete some applications
- Turn it on a little later each day
- Forget the charger from time to time.
- Silence notifications
- Avoid taking it to the bathroom
On the other hand, there is another psychological pathology related to this type of behavior called FOMOfor its acronym in English that means: fear of missing out (fear of missing out), specifically social media.
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This fear arises from not being able to find out in real time about other people’s lives or from not immediately reporting what that person is experiencing, either with videos, photos or messages through social networks such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. . That is A person who compulsively consults the networks to see what is happening in their environment with fear of being excluded from something important suffers from FOMO.
Tips to prevent FOMO
Concern should arise the moment new technologies that generate dependency begin to be misused, so if you have suffered from this pathology or know someone who has suffered from it, these are some recommendations from the , to prevent it. or counteract it:
- Limit daily connection time: Set a maximum time each day between 10 and 15 minutes to access networks and respond to messages.
- Dosage your presence on the networks
- Plan your leisure: rest, share quality time with your family and friends, exercise or do your favorite hobby.
- Reflect on your life: Being so immersed in social networks and making multiple comparisons with other people may be because something in you is not right, so you can analyze what is not working to change it.