Do You Suffer From Nomophobia?

Do you remember the challenge of having to find a pay phone to make a very necessary phone call, trying to find the quarter or change needed, and remembering the number you needed to call? And, waiting in line? Whew! Before cell phones became available in the late ’80s, pay phones were the way we communicated when we weren’t at home or work. We’ve come a long way, Baby!

But what about the problems that ensued because of addiction to our cell phones? The problem has a name….”Nomophobia”. I heard this name for the first time over the weekend, when Pastor Craig Groeschel explained. “Nomophobia is the fear of being out of mobile phone contact. The term is an abbreviation for “no-mobile-phone phobia, and was coined during a 2010 study by a research organization that looked at anxieties suffered by mobile phone users. The study found that nearly 66% of mobile phone users have extreme anxiety when they “lose their mobile phone, run out of battery or credit, or have no network coverage”. And it went up to 76% in ages 18-24. The study found that about 58% of men and 47% of women suffer from the phobia, and an additional 9% feel stressed when their mobile phones are off. More than one in two nomophobes never switch off their mobile phones.

And what does that say about those who can’t go through a dinner meal with friends and family around them, without having to look at their phones. What does it say about a couple who has “issues” because they are having to compete for attention because of their cell phone addictions. And, what about those who take their phones to bed with them — to just see what the “ding” was, or to text just one last message? Or those who can’t resist checking their phones during church?

As Pastor Craig put it, we have allowed our cell phones to be our masters and St. Paul said in I Corinthians 6:12 “I have the right to do anything — but I will NOT be mastered by anything.” We have become slaves to our phones. Isn’t it time for us to be the MASTER of our lives by putting down those things that keep us from the things that matter most — like our families, friends, and others that deserve our undivided attention — regarding them as important and worthy of our focus and consideration? I’ll admit, his message especially spoke to me because THE ONE who deserves my full intention is God, and I’ve allowed my morning devotion to be interrupted by a ding or a call or “I just had to check my FB messages”. Yes, I heard the weekend message loud and clear…..and CLEARLY, my mission is to no longer allow my cell phone “ball and chain” to master me. How about you?