Know your 'Nomophobia'

Have you ever heard about Nomophobia? ??

I heard about this a few years ago from Gopi Kallayil, Google’s Chief Evangelist for Brand Marketing, when he talked about his book titled "The Internet to Inner-net" at a ceremony held at Sharjah International Book Fair.

I wondered, "Among hundreds of phobias, what could be this ‘Nomophobia’?" If the phobia is a mental disease, this one is a good phobia to some extent. But beyond a point, this is also dangerous.

The number of organs in a human body is 78. But the modern lifestyle gifted us an additional organ. Guess what is the 79th organ added to our body? You and I are helpless without that organ. And that organ is the device called 'mobile phone'. You and I are disabled without that organ. Isn’t it? And this disability is called ‘No-Mo-Phobia’, that is ‘No Mobile Phone Phobia’! ?

Doesn’t it make sense? ??

In my childhood, when I woke up in the morning every day, I saw my parents reading a newspaper over a cup of tea. Now when my children wake up from sleep, they see my wife and me holding our mobile phones and checking Social Media updates.?

From daily dose to overdose, Social Media is addictive. It has created a seductive universe for us. From dawn to dusk, you and I are so close to our smartphones, the 79th organ of our body and we are very sick with the ‘Nomophobia’. Isn’t it? ?

In my childhood, I have never seen my parents going to bed by reading a newspaper. But every evening, my children see my wife and me going to bed by checking updates on our mobile phones. ?

‘Nomophobia’ is a psychological condition. How does this happen? It happens when people feel a fear of detachment or connectivity when their mobile phones are not in front of them. When you forget your mobile phone somewhere, you get frustrated and get scared, you feel disabled, and you feel lifeless in this world. That condition is ‘Nomophobia’.?

What happens when you are suffering from No-Mo-Phobia? ?You feel distanced from Social Media, and you feel distanced from the real world itself. ?

Let me tell you a small story. Once, the world-renowned English writer GK Chesterton was traveling by train. The ticket examiner came and asked him to show the ticket. Chesterton checked his ticket in the pockets of his shirt, then pockets of his trousers, then in his bag. He couldn’t find it anywhere. ?

Chesterton again tried checking all his pockets and bag. He couldn’t find it. He became embarrassed. The ticket examiner consoled him saying, “It is okay. You might have lost it.”?

Chesterton replied, “You can tell that. But I might find the ticket now, right now. Then only I would be able to remember where I am going to, and which place should I get down.” ?

Funny. Isn’t it? Now let me ask you something. Are you like GK Chesterton when it comes to using your mobile phones? How much has the ‘Nomophobia’ affected you? If you are not mindful of using your mobile phones, it disrupts your mental wellness. You get sick with the ‘Nomophobia’. Mindfulness matters even in mobile phone use as well.?