Do you suffer from Nomophobia or SMA? If so, you are a victim of the technological rise of the 21st century. But first, I need to explain what these terms are:
- Nomophobia is a fear of being without your mobile phone and anxiety when you are without it.
- SMA is Social Media Addiction – a compulsion to use social media.
Technology companies are keen for all of us to be using our mobile devices, especially to connect to social media, as much as possible. These platforms are designed to make us want to keep going back and using them again and again.
Don’t get me wrong – I am all in favour of the use of technology to make the world an easier and more pleasant place to be in. But it is so easy to become attached and addicted to it all.
Just imagine that, for a day, your phone battery is dead and for some reason you are unable to charge it until tomorrow. How would you feel? Would you be anxious, worried, feel a sense of agitation and disorientation? Does the thought of being without your phone for 24 hours fill you with fear? This is nomophobia – fear of being without your phone because of the anxiety it induces when your phone is not there.
Do you feel compelled to check your social media channels all the time? How long could you go – comfortably – without checking your social media? Are you looking to see how many likes or shares you have got? Do you feel a compulsion to check up to see what your friends are doing? This is SMA – social media addiction.
These conditions simply did not exist before the rise of the mobile phone and social media. These are modern day conditions. Over half the world’s population owns a smartphone and over half the world’s population uses social media. Many are able to do without it, but it is those who become addicted that have a problem.
Mental health issues arise when users become start believing the abusive remarks made to them and others, when they get addicted to graphic pornography or other material, when they are so compelled to online that the rest of their lives suffer. This is a series mental health issue that continues to grow in the 21st century.
And Finally …
If you have issues that you need help with, nomophobia, SMA or other forms of anxiety and addiction, you might like to consider hypnotherapy. I run my hypnotherapy clinic in Fleet, Hampshire and (ironically!) also online. Contact me if you would like a chat about how hypnotherapy could help you.
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