Balance February 18 - 18

t h e manual

RESULTS
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TIME TO EASE OFF
You're clued up on how
bad tech can be for you,
yet don't recognise you're
showing signs of being
addicted to your phone.
You probably rely on your
phone to improve your
health by using apps to
keep your diet on track
and chart fitness progress.
While that may help you,
being so attached to your
phone does not.
Research, published in
journal Organizational
Behavior and Human
Decision Processes, found
viewing your phone after
dark meant poor quality
sleep and reduced focus at
work the following day.
What's more, the effect of
light at night is classified
as a probable carcinogen,
by the International
Agency for Research on
Cancer. While reducing
the blue light from your
phone will help (as this is
what interferes with sleep
hormone production), it
won't prevent your brain
being stimulated by what
you view, keeping you
awake longer.
Download Moment, a free
app which tracks phone
usage. Once you're aware
how much time you're
spending on your phone,
take the first step towards
addressing your addiction
- by banning your phone
from the bedroom. This
alone will allow you to
sleep better and be both
chirpier and more focused
the following day.

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UNDER CONTROL
Congratulations, while your
phone is essential to your
life, just as it is for the rest
of us, you've got this sorted.
You place value on techfree time enjoying real-life
social interactions while
also partaking in the online
versions. So take yourself to
cellular nirvana by quitting
social media for 24 hours at
a time - you may find you
don't need it at all.

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NOT TOO LATE
You're on the road to
addiction but there's still
hope. First, delete any app
you haven't used in the last
week or so. Now temporarily
disable all your social media
apps and make a note of
how you feel over the next
few days. If you feel lost and
alone, like you're missing
out on 'life', try regular
temporary bans instead.
Researchers from Rutgers
University, US, suggest the
neurological effect from
viewing social media apps is
similar to the response you
get from eating or drinking,
leaving you feeling good but
not for long. Then you're
back. Keep set times each
day when you can't feed
your addiction and you'll
wean yourself off it.

SEEK HELP NOW!
You're crying out for help
but the only way you know
how to do it is via a social
network. You've become
so attached to your phone
it's almost like family.
Research from Kansas
State University, US, has
found people who are
reliant on their phones
got as panicked about
misplacing it as they
would if a member of the
family went missing.
This intense fear of
losing the connectivity
of your phone so that it
affects your day-to-day life
is called nomophobia and
66% of us suffer from it.
While you may think it's
doing no harm, research
from the University of
Essex suggests that even
having a phone nearby
can affect our attempts at
interpersonal connection.
It's time to seek help.
There are several things
you can do. You can go the
DIY route and download a
free trial of an app called
Freedom which blocks you
from social media sites
for a specified amount of
time. Start with an hour,
then gradually increase.
Alternatively, seek
professional help. Research
from the University of
Derby found 13% of people
are genuinely addicted to
their phones, leading to
moodiness, jealousy, envy
and loneliness. Consider
Cognitive Behavioural
Therapy (find a therapist
at cbtregisteruk.com).

BA LA N CE February 2018

Balance asked
Londoners:
How important
is your mobile?

MAIN PHOTOHGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES, STOCKSY, VOX POPS PHOTOGRAPHY: WILL IRELAND VOX POPS COMPILED BY JADE COOPER-COLLINS

The

Josh Vishal, 22, Digital
Marketing, says 'I can be on
my phone up to nine hours a
day. I do try to read on my
commute into work, so
minimise my phone use. My
job requires me to be on my
phone a lot, but I have found
myself trying not to outside
of work so much. I do often
check my phone first thing in
the morning, though.'

Katie Gabb, 26, Recruitment,
says: 'I think I spend around
six hours a day on my phone.
I check it first thing in the
morning. I don't really feel
anxious when it's not on me;
I can deal with not using it.'

http://www.cbtregisteruk.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Balance February 18