“You’re not the boss of me now! And you’re not so big” sang They Might Be Giants in one of their most famous songs. That’s what we want to say to our technology device. Especially when they rule our day.

Here are the 5 strongest signs that prove you are addicted to your smartphone.

#1 You feel anxious without it

Not knowing where it is, accidentally leaving it at home or even finding your pocket empty while searching with your hand feel you with an uncomfortable sense of dread, that sometimes leads you to panic. If you feel your smartphone a part of you, a tool you can’t live without, then you have an unhealthy dependence on it.

#2 You are antisocial

You are in a pubblic place with friends or your family, but you spend more time playing around with your phone than talking and laughing with them. Maybe you are at the dinner table and you regularly feel the compulsion to check your phone or take a picture of the food. Your family and friends even started complainig about how antisocial your behavior has become.

#3 You struggle to focus

During a face-to-face conversation with someone, it’s hard for you to stay focused and concentrate on what you’re talking about. You lose eye-contact too easily with them zoning out and staring into space; and perhaps you start thinking about checking your Facebook notifications, your e-mails or seeing if someone texted you. Watch out: your smartphone is leaving your mind in a hyperactive and constantly distracted state and, more often than not, you find yourself stretching your arm trying to take your phone without even thinking about it.

#4 Your phone is in charge

You let your smartphone decide on your daily schedule. Usually every day looks the same with you spend hours and hours along with your head buried in your smartphone screen playing games or scrolling your Facebook wall. You start showing up late for your meetings and even dates with your partner. Your slowly becoming an unreliable person causes unpleasant situations.

#5 You feel the need to document everything

Philippe Kahn, the man who created the first mobile phone equipped with a camera, surely was not aware of what would have happened. Nowadays, with every smartphone it is possible to document and keep trace of almost everything that happens around us during our day. Moreover – believe me – no one is going to watch or pay attention to the pictures or videos you took when you were at that concert or another certain kind of event. Don’t look at the reality through a screen and enjoy your surroundings, rather than trying not to let things slip away by using your smartphone. The best memories are the ones you fully lived!

The smartphone is an incredibile and useful device when used in the right way. But when it ends up making us busier to the point where we lose touch with what is actually important, then we need to make a change. The over- or misuse can be treated following our advises: try out the smartphone fast you can find some posts below and, if you feel like it, send us a picture for our column PHONE FACED DOWN.