Have you heard about this? Nomophobia is short for "No Mobile Phobia" which means a fear of being without your cell phone. This is an actual study that was commissioned by the British Post Office. They found out that over 13 million Brits suffer from Nomophobia. My first reaction, like many of you, was "Oh come on..."

But, as I thought about it I had second thoughts. I reflected on my own personal attachment to my cell phone. As much as I hate to admit it, I am very attached to it. In fact, when I go for my daily walks, my cell phone ranks with equal importance as my sunglasses, dog leash, poop bags, I.D. and keys. I always think before I leave the house that I need my phone in case "something" happens. To make matters worse I have to admit there have been occasions when I have returned to the house to fetch my phone when I realized that I forgotten it. Hello, my name is Julie and I too am a Nomophobic!

Well, fellow soul searchers how many of you can relate to this? Am I standing alone with my hand up? We live in a world that many of us have grown to fear and it feels like just going outside can be dangerous. Also, the idea of being unreachable for even a few minutes can feel ominous and frightening. If you suffer with anxiety and/or panic, or have been a victim of crime, this fear can become even more intense.

What I found even more interesting were their recommendations. For instance, keep your bill paid up in full so it won't be shut off; carry a charger with you at all times, give family and friends alternative contact numbers, carry a prepaid phone card if your phone becomes broken or disabled. Hmmm and finally, they suggest shutting off the phone and dealing with it. It seems that their recommendations, except for the last one, may actually fuel anxiety vs. reduce it. It encourages people to avoid their fear instead of facing it. Avoiding a trigger always increases anxiety.

As goofy as this article is, I know this is a real issue for people just like any other trigger of anxiety or panic. Approach it the same way you approach other triggers. I would be interested to hear others opinion, experience and solutions to this modern day anxiety.