How to Cope with Anxiety over Being Phoneless
Can you imagine one day without your smartphone? I don’t think so. Most of us can’t imagine a minute without our ‘best friends.’ We can’t sleep well at night, knowing someone will send us a message via email or Facebook. We feel panic every time a low-battery notification pops up on the screen. Instead of enjoying the day or focusing on our tasks, we spend hours worrying about low battery and looking for the ways to charge it.
Is it an addiction, anxiety or nomophobia? Probably, all of them. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t experienced any of these phone-related problems. I’m guilty of being a bit addicted to my smartphone. I believe it’s because of my job, but in reality it’s just an excuse. My goal is to ring in the new year without my smartphone. Yes, it’s a challenge, but I’m ready to take it. Are you with me? If so, start early. Here are some tips that will help you get rid of anxiety over being phoneless as well as reduce your risk of phone addiction.
1 Disable the Internet connection
Step one: pluck up courage to disable the Internet connection on your smartphone. This way, you will spend less time with your phone, and more time in real life. Having a smartphone connected to the Internet is happiness, blessing and a total benefit, unless you spend most of your time online, damaging your spine, eyes and mental health. It’s tempting to check your Facebook timeline or email when you always keep your smartphone handy. Get rid of that temptation and boost your productivity by disabling the Internet connection on your smartphone. Needless to say, you will save a lot of cash on it.
Read also – 7 Problems We Encounter in a Technology Rich World
2 Find your passion
Be it a new hobby or love, finding your true passion will help you forget about your smartphone, and focus on something else instead. When we feel bored, we turn to our phones and laptops. We forget about real friends, partners, siblings and overall real life. When a low-battery notification pops up on the screen, we are afraid to stay alone. This fear causes addiction, anxiety and chronic phobia, and you may end up treating your phone as a baby.
If you feel bored at work, then what are you doing here? Those who love their jobs never feel exhausted and bored. Find your dream job and you will leave your ‘best friend’ at least for a while. If you have nothing to do at home, try a new hobby that will distract you from all those apps and social media. One way to never return to your smartphone is to live your life with purpose and passion.
3 Purchase an ordinary phone
No smartphones. No iPhones. Remember those times when we used phones in emergency situations only or when we wanted to invite someone to party? I bet some of you remember those times when few people had a phone at home. It wasn’t a big problem unless something bad happened. People were busy with more interesting things. Now, think about a modern society. How often do you speak to someone when commuting? The answer is pretty obvious.
4 Flap your social butterfly wings
The fear of being phoneless is a serious problem. It’s like a drug or cigarette addiction. Just like smokers don’t notice and realize their problem, we don’t accept the fact that we can’t live without smartphones. If you want to change your life, sell your expensive smartphone, buy an ordinary (and cheap!) phone, and become a sociable person. There are so many wonderful people that can bring joy into your life. Chatting online is great, but chatting IRL is best.
5 Don’t let the fear control you
Finally, don’t let the fear of being without phone control you. Free your mind. Claim your joy. Life is too short to spend it with a smartphone. People who suffered from a smartphone addiction claim that they regret about one thing – wasted time. I can only speak for myself here, but I think that a smartphone is one of the worst inventions. It’s useful and helpful at times, but it has ruined many happy lives and relationships. That’s because we allow our phones control us.
Read also – 7 Ways Technology Ruins Your Relationship
Overcoming the fear of being phoneless requires baby steps. Start slowly and see what you can do right now to reduce your wasted time. Create some “phone-free time” so that you could gradually adapt to a real life. When you go to bed, leave your phone in the kitchen or living room. The next time you suddenly wake up in the middle of the night, chances are you will be too lazy to get up and look for your phone around the house. Swap your cool smartphone for an ordinary one. You are not going to be sorry! You will be grateful to yourself for this bold action. Do you feel like your phone is slowly ruining your life? Are you afraid to stay without your phone?
