Are You Nomophobic? Signs You’re Terrified To Be Without Your Phone

You know that rise of panic that wells up in your chest when you’ve misplaced your phone? It may be a signal of nomophobia, which is short for “no-mobile-phone-phobia.” A survey by Securenvoy found that 66% of the population has this condition. Given that the survey was done in 2012, I’d dare to say that this number is even higher. Here are 13 signs you might be nomophobic.

1. You have anxiety when you’re away for just a short period of time. Maybe you’re at a work function and it was suggested you leave your phone in your office just for the hour. Still, an hour seems like a decade and you’re filled with anxiety. Being away from your phone isn’t an easy feat for you. You feel as if you’re missing out on something so you have some serious FOMO. Similarly, when you’re reunited with your phone you have a huge sigh of relief knowing the stress is over.
2. You spend a lot of time on your phone when with friends. When you and your friends hang out the both of you or all of you are spending a ton of time on your phones. Your phone is getting more face time than your friends. Since your pals are nomophobes, too, this arrangement works out.
3. You feel you’d be lost without it. You can’t even fathom the idea of being away from your phone for an extended period of time. The thought of it actually makes you sick. You don’t know what you’d do with your free time if you aren’t able to peruse the web. You also don’t know how you’ll get by without constantly being on social media.
4. You’re constantly checking if you have it. You regularly do the pat down, checking your person to make sure you have your cell phone on you. Or, you’re shuffling through your purse while your heart skips a beat because your phone is hiding behind your wallet. You’re always on alert to make sure it’s right where it needs to be.
5. You fully panic when you lose it. You watch your life flash before your eyes when you misplace your phone. Logically you know that it can’t have gone far, but emotionally you’re imagining the most horrible things happening to it. You tear apart your house looking for your baby. If you can’t find it in the normal places you may have lost it, you really lose your sh*t.
6. You’re on it until the second you go to bed. Typing away on a dating app or scrolling through Instagram, you’re on your phone until the second you go to sleep. You may even sleep with your phone in your bed with you. Talk about a codependent relationship! The fact that that light makes it hard for you to sleep doesn’t phase you in using it before bed, anyway.
7. You’d turn around if you left it at home. No matter how far you’ve gone or where you’re headed, you turn right around if you realize you left your cell phone at home. You don’t care about being late with the boss or showing up a few minutes late for a date, after all, they’d understand the circumstances.
8. You break “no phone” rules. Maybe you’re at a conference where they ask that you leave your cell phone tucked away so as not to disturb the flow. You can’t help but check your phone every chance you get, though. Same with a retreat, they ask that no phones be used for the duration of the retreat, yet you love to sneak away and use your phone in the bathroom whenever you can. Rules can’t stand between you and your cellie.
9. Having no service drives you crazy. When you have no service you obsessively toggle your internet on and off to see if you can force some into your phone. You’re driven absolutely bananas when a poor signal stands between you and whatever you were going to do. You hate feeling this powerless.
10. You compulsively check for notifications. You check your phone every few minutes all day long. You know it’s absolutely crazy because most of the time nothing’s going on, but you can’t help it. You jump when you do have a notification, filled with tons of excitement. Your phone basically owns your soul.
11. You text and drive. This one’s a really bad and dangerous one, but it happens with people who are glued to their phone. Since you’re so attached to your phone when you’re indoors this doesn’t change when you get behind the wheel. You type away and scroll through different feeds, endangering your lives and the lives of others.
12. Running out of battery is terrifying. Let’s be real, you carry a charging cord around wherever you go. You have one in your car, too, because one of your worst fears is your phone running out of juice. The thought absolutely terrifies you, so you throw the phone on the charging port whenever it’s even remotely low.
13. The idea of being out of the social media loop makes you uncomfortable. You’re so plugged into what’s going on when it comes to everyone’s social media. You’re regularly in the know on Instagram and you’re caught up on your Snapchat stories. The idea of not being able to check these feeds makes you super uncomfortable.