Curing Students of Nomophobia
Do you know this word? Nomophobia is a term describing a growing fear in today's world -- the fear of being without a mobile device, or beyond mobile phone contact. Among today's high school and college students, it's on the rise (va en aumento):
· An increasing number of college students now shower with their cell phone.
· The average adolescent would rather lose a pinky-finger (meñique) than a cell phone.
· A growing percentage text or tweet instead of actually talking to others.
Nomophobia is everywhere in industrialized nations. The term is an abbreviation for "no-mobile-phone phobia," which was coined (acuñado) during a 2010 study by the UK Post Office. The study found that nearly (almost- casi) 53 percent of mobile phone users in Britain tend to be anxious when they "lose their mobile phone, run out of (agotar, quedarse sin) battery or credit, or have no network coverage (cobertura) ."
The study found that about 58 percent of men and 47 percent of women suffer from the phobia, and an additional 9 percent feel stressed when their mobile phones are off. The study sampled (muestrear hacer la prueba con) 2,163 people. Fifty-five percent of those surveyed (enquestados) cited keeping in touch (mantener el contacto) with friends or family as the main reason that they got anxious when they could not use their mobile phones. The study compared stress levels induced by the average case of nomophobia to be on par (estar a la par) with those of "wedding day jitters"(nervios, nerviosismo) and trips to the dentists.
In the U.S., it's gotten worse...
· Sixty-five percent, or about two in three people, sleep with or next to their smart phones. (Among college students, it's even higher).
· Thirty-four percent admitted to answering their cell phone during intimacy with their partner. (Hey, what happened to valuing the person you are with in-person?)
· One in five people would rather go without shoes for a week than take a break from (descansar de) their phone. (It's a good way to lose your sole and your soul).
· More than half never switch off their phone. (I'd call that an addiction).
· A full 66 percent of all adults suffer from "nomophobia."
It's time to take a break
Whenever I find myself needing something in order to cope, I always check my lifestyle and my health. This may sound crazy, but my rule of thumb (regla general) is that I don't allow myself to be brought under the control of anything. Outside of food, water and shelter, I guard myself against subjection to any addiction that begins to dictate my behavior. This includes technology. I recognize that cell phones, tablets, computers and other technology introduced in the future will make my life easier and enable (me permite) me to work more efficiently. My principle, though, is this: Technology should be a servant, not a master.
So what should we do to model a balanced approach for students?
· Be sure there are daily times you turn off the cell phone and experience either face-to-face conversations or solitude.
· Balance screen time and in-person time each week. For every hour you invest in front of a screen, you invest in human contact.
· Try a technology fast every month, where you actually go for a day or more without a computer, tablet or phone. You'll feel liberated.
· Place your phone at least 15 feet away from you when you sleep at night. I realize you'll have to get up to push "snooze,"(botón del despertador) but it's safer this way.
· Block your day in time zones, where you spend time using technology, but also have blocks of time for organic, genuine interaction with people
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