An addiction to smartphones can result in a range of challenges, which could be physical, psychological and social in nature, a consultant psychiatrist has said.
According to Dr. Chido Rwafa-Madzvamutse, one could be struggling with smartphone addiction if answers to the questions below are “yes”:
- Are you spending excessive nonwork or school-related time on your smartphone?
- Do you fear being separated from your smartphone or do you panic if you cannot locate it for even brief periods of time?
- Do you constantly check your phone even if it hasn’t given you notifications?
- Do you panic if you run out of data or cannot access Wifi even for brief periods of time?
- Are you neglecting important responsibilities and duties due to time spent on the phone?
- Is your phone the first thing you interact with in the morning and the last thing you interact with at night?
- Do you find yourself unable to resist using your smartphone even when in work meetings, in class at school or when spending time with family and friends?
The physical effects of smartphone addiction include poor sleep, fatigue, dry, irritated eyes, thumb or wrist pain and risk of physical injury when one uses smartphones in risky situations like walking in a busy street, driving, operating machinery or even cooking
The psychological effects of smartphone overuse include irritability or aggressiveness when cut off from the phone as well as distractions from school and work, poor concentration and poor performance.
It also increases the risk of depression and anxiety problems, particularly with the overuse of social media sites.
The relational or social effects include decreased meaningful social interaction with family and friends leading to feelings of isolation and loneliness.
There could also be relationship breakdowns as virtual relationships take precedence over real-life relationships.
Some tips about how to overcome smartphone overuse/addiction:
- Put your phone in an inaccessible place for set times to allow for non-digital activities and to sleep.
- Monitor your smartphone usage.
- Turn off non-essential notifications and consider deleting some social media apps off your phone and only using them on a laptop or desktop.
- Take time off your smartphone and connect with your friends and family in a digital-free zone giving each other precious undivided attention.
More: Pindula News