Cell phones have become such powerful and versatile tools that, for many people, they feel literally indispensable.

In fact, it’s easy to feel like you’re the one who’s lost when you can’t find your phone. So, how do you know whether your attachment to your phone is just a 21st century cultural phenomenon or a genuine, life-altering addiction?

Symptoms of phone addiction:

- You reach for your phone the moment you’re alone or bored.

- You wake up multiple times at night to check your phone.

- You feel anxious, upset, or short-tempered when you can’t get to your phone.

- Your phone use has caused you to have an accident or injury.

- You’re spending more and more time using your phone.

- Phone use interferes with your job performance, schoolwork, or relationships.

- People in your life are concerned about your phone use patterns.

- When you try to limit your use, you relapse quickly.

Research has shown that people who overuse cell phones may experience:
•Anxiety
•Depression
•Sleep deficits and insomnia
•Relationship conflicts
•Poor academic or work performance

How to break the addiction:
Consider cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
This therapeutic approach helps illuminate the links between your thoughts, behaviours, and emotions. It can be a very effective type of therapy to help you change certain behaviour patterns.

Try these other practical steps:
1. Remove time-consuming apps from your phone and access them through a device you don’t carry with you all day.

2. Change your settings to eliminate push notifications and other disruptive alerts.

3. Set your screen to gray scale to keep it from waking you at night.

4.Place some barriers around your phone use that force you to think about what you’re doing. For example, you could create lock screen questions, like “Why now?” and “What for?”

5.Keep your phone out of sight. Charge your phone somewhere besides your bedroom.

6.Develop hobbies that feed your soul. Replace the games and social media apps with hands-on, real-world activities, like meeting up with friends, creating music or art, or doing volunteer work.