New research shows we are checking our phones around 100 times per day and it’s wrecking our wellbeing. When I used to be the editor of a celebrity weekly magazine, I was all over every beep, buzz and tweet. I’d WhatsApp at traffic lights and update my Facebook status while in the bath. No big deal, you might be thinking. Well, actually it is. Our digital age obsession with gadgets is having a detrimental impact on our health.
Researchers say that incessantly checking-in is causing migraines, feelings of low self-worth and ironically, it’s making us feel more disconnected and isolated. According to a recent poll in the UK, 70 per cent of us have phone separation anxiety. There’s even a term for this fixation – nomophobia – a fear of being without your phone.
Mobile phones are the new cigarettes. Besides killing brain cells, numerous Swedish studies show that excessive exposure to the electromagnetic radiation that phones emit, is linked to cancer and other autoimmune diseases. One of the biggest studies carried out by Orebro University Hospital in Sweden, found that people who started using mobile phones before the age of 20, are five times more likely to develop glioma (a type of tumour that starts in the brain or spine). The man behind the study, Professor Hardell said: “This is a warning sign. It is very worrying. We should be taking precautions.”
Experts say we are likely to face a public health crisis – an epidemic of brain cancers as the result of mobile phone use. As with cigarettes, health researchers are urging phones to be sold with an official health warning.
Over the summer, I decided to switch off my CrackBerry for two months, and guess what? I didn’t miss anything earth shattering. My life went on as usual, if anything, it was slightly more enriching. When I met up with my friends, we made an effort to show up on time and there were no last minute cancellations. I revelled in the present moment and was far more aware of my surroundings. Instead of being glued to my mobile phone while walking along the street, I allowed my senses to soak in what was happening around me. The scent of freshly cut grass. The infectious laugh from the old woman at the bus stop. The sunlight bouncing off the asphalt.
After the initial, irrational fear of missing out had dissipated, I felt far more relaxed and carefree sans mobile phone. While I’m not advocating we ditch our gadgets – I’m all for the amazing advantages of our tech savvy culture – I highly recommend a beep balance, as well as the occasional digital detox.
WAYS TO SWITCH OFF PHONE STRESS
1. Mindfulness, a proven stress-buster, means being fully engaged with life. Set rules about turning off your phone in certain situations (say, at dinner with your friends or an hour before bedtime). It’s empowering.
2. If you don’t tweet about it, it did still happen! Learn to go to a gig or a friend’s party without having to Instagram or Facebook it. Soak up the moment as it unfolds, rather than trying to get the perfect shot to upload online.
3. Don’t use your phone in the bedroom. Late night surfing in bed isn’t good for your sex life. In fact, scientists say mobile phone use lowers your libido, and disrupts your sleep patterns.
4. When you meet up with your friends, turn your phone off. Be present. You will have more in-depth, real and intimate conversations. Constantly checking your phone when you’re in someone else’s company is a sign of disrespect.
5. Many of us are substituting face time with incessant texting. As a general rule, if the subject is a sensitive one, don’t sms non-stop. Instead, pick up the phone or better still, have a face-to-face discussion. Human interaction is always more rewarding.
What kind of relationship do you have with your mobile? Do you panic if you accidentally leave it at home or do you feel liberated without it? Has the digital age turbocharged a feeling of nostalgia, for a return to a time before Facebook existed?
I’d love to know what you think. Give me a buzz!
