Is low-battery anxiety a real thing now?

A new term called low-battery anxiety has emerged because we are so much into our cellphones, smartwatches, and other electronic devices that are powered by batteries.

Do you keep checking your phone’s battery health very often? Do you think about what will happen if your battery drains fully and your device shuts off, and how you will make your next online payment, book a cab, or send a snap?

We are so much into our phones that our connection with the real world has become very fragile. Every time we see a red mark indicating a low battery percentage on our screens, we start feeling anxious and start having thoughts about what we will do next, which is the beginning of low-battery anxiety.

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Is low-battery anxiety real?

Is low battery anxiety real? (Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik)

Yes, low battery anxiety is real.When the devices on which we are over-dependent- like our mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and EVs, start running out of power, we get this type of anxiety, as we start thinking about what our next move will be. We think about how and where we will charge them and what will happen if we cannot charge them.

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How do you know if you’re suffering from low-battery anxiety?

Are you suffering from low battery anxiety? (Image by cookie_studio on Freepik)

If you find yourself in situations when you become nervous when your phone is dead or has low battery, and you feel like your world will come to an end when you see that your device is going to die, you are suffering from low-battery anxiety.

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The devices that cause this anxiety

• Smartphones
• Smartwatches
• Electronic vehicles
• Electronic cigarettes
• Laptops
• Wireless headsets

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Signs and symptoms

Carrying a charger everywhere can be a sign of low battery anxiety (Image by Homemade Media/Unsplash)

• Asking a random person to charge your smartphone
• Going to cafes or restaurants just to charge your devices
• Switch off your phone to save battery
• Keeping on checking the battery percentage or battery health
• Having more than one smartphone charging cable

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How to get out of this anxiety?

1. Buy a power bank to charge your phone anywhere without asking for help or panicking, as these days Apple has come up with MagSafe Powerbanks that will stick at the back of your phone and are easy to carry around.

2. Protect your battery health by not overcharging your phone or completely draining your phone, also use a certified charger and always turn on optimized battery charging from your settings for better battery life.

3. Charge your devices when at home so that when you leave for work or go out, you will not have to worry about a dead phone.

4. When buying devices check the battery capacity and always go for the bigger battery options.

5. Keep your phone on battery saver or airplane mode, when you do not need to use it or aren’t expecting any calls or messages. You can use a smartwatch instead to reply or make calls as smartwatches come with e-sim.

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Low-battery anxiety and mental health

Talk to your partner instead of being on your phone (Image by Miquel Parera/Unsplash)

A low-battery indication can take a toll on your mental health as charging your devices becomes a priority over everything else in today’s world. This is because we are so engrossed in our devices that a battery malfunction can make our hearts skip a beat.

Imagine the device you are on now suddenly stops working, then how will you feel?

Low-battery anxiety can also ruin relationships, in case you do not pick up or respond to a message, and your reason of having a dead battery is seen as an excuse among your peers or whosoever had messaged or called you.

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Do not let smartphones or smart devices control you, instead make healthy relations, by interacting face to face, make time for your family and friends, read a book or play an instrument instead and take care of yourself.

So I guess it’s time to recharge yourself rather than your device.