Bharatiya Approach To Smartphone Addiction Problem

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This is the era of smartphones where these sophisticated gadgets have drastically simplified several facets of human life. In fact, a smartphone has now become an inseparable part of everyday life for an average person. However, the usage of smartphones is not without some major drawbacks, with the most striking of them being smartphone addiction.

The addiction is popularly called “nomophobia”, which means the fear a person feels when they do not have access to a smart device. This article is going to explain how the traditional Bharatiya approach helps in beating this alarming addiction. Before that, it will help to have a basic understanding of nomophobia.

Nomophobia- Basic details
These are some key points pertaining to smartphone addiction:

A person addicted to smartphone usage experiences severe levels of stress when they can’t use their device even for a brief period of time.
These profiles give more importance to the virtual relationships of social media, even at the cost of neglecting actual relationships.
Exposure to too much information, through a smartphone, overwhelms an individual.
Such people become highly vulnerable to many psychiatric issues such as depression and anxiety. Sleep disorders are not uncommon, too.
In some extreme cases of nomophobia, people neglect their academic and professional responsibilities. Their entire careers get endangered.

Overcoming smartphone addiction through Bharatiya approach
It is now going to be appropriate to focus on this crucial matter. That is about how smartphone addiction can be conquered with the help of an approach based on Bharatiya traditions.

The solution to the problem can be found in the system of Yoga, which is an integral element of the Sanatana dharma of Bharat. ”Pratyahara”, a tenet of Yoga, is precisely the thing that can redeem a person from the grip of this potentially dangerous addiction.

The ancient system of Yoga is inclusive of eight limbs and each of those has its uniqueness and significance. And, Pratyahara is one of those limbs that is specific to curing addictions.
Though many people are unaware that Pratyahara is a part of Yoga, yet; it can be treated as the most important of all the eight limbs. Pratyahara is centered on teaching people about controlling the senses and staying unaffected by outside influences.
The preceding point provides an idea of why Pratyahara is useful in curing nomophobia. For, a smartphone is nothing but an “outside influence” and self-restraint is necessary to curb over-dependency on the device.
Pratyahara encompasses practices where a person is encouraged to first deliberately expose themselves to the stimuli. Then, they are taught just to observe the resultant thoughts without reacting impulsively.
In the subsequent stage, the individual is guided to experience the real self within, which is much bigger than any man-made gadget/device. This is a rather difficult step, but with patience and perseverance, one can achieve the goal.
Once this awareness is attained, a blissful state of mind automatically follows. This bliss has nothing to do with sensory pleasures or materialistic things; it is of spiritual value. Here, all addictions just vanish without any conscious effort.
Yoga Nidra, meditation, and pranayama are some of the ways in which people can take up the practice of pratyahara.

The topic of depending on pratyahara to become free from any addiction is a vast one. All its aspects can’t be covered in a short write-up. Yet, a sincere attempt has been made to cover the most salient points of the subject at hand.