Has your smartphone use become problematic — affecting your family time, social life, or work? Interrupting an unhealthy relationship with your phone starts with developing self-awareness. Here are the red flags to look out for and questions to help you spot them.
Loss of control.
Do you feel a deep, persistent, and uncontrollable urge to check your phone, even when you’re not waiting for anything in particular?
Dependence.
Do you feel anxious or irritable when you have to turn off your phone? Are you preoccupied with the thought of missing a call, text, or notification?
Emotional coping.
Do you reflexively turn to your phone to cope with negative emotions like boredom, frustration, stress, or social anxiety?
Negative emotions.
Simply put, does being on your phone make you feel bad? Do you feel more stress, anxiety, or loneliness after using it?
Harmed social relationships.
Does using your phone prevent you from listening to others and engaging in uninterrupted, face-to-face conversations? Do important people around you feel neglected because you’re focused on your phone instead of them?
Compromised performance.
Does your phone distract you from getting important things done? Limit your ability to think clearly? Enable your procrastination?
