Our mobile phones have become an integral part of our lives, from keeping in touch with the outside world to finding directions and answers to those burning questions any time of the day. But what happens when we lose or break our precious phones? For many of us this can be more than just the inconvenience of being incommunicado until our replacement phone arrives.

In many cases our mobile phones have an emotional connection to us, containing vital personal and sensitive information from our lives. From bank details, personal information and passwords to sentimental photos, text messages and emails, which can be lost forever or worse if they get into the wrong hands. Thus it’s inevitable that losing a mobile phone can bring on some feelings of fear and grief, otherwise known as the “five stages of phone grief”.

1. Denial

The first stage of phone grief is denial; the feeling that your phone can’t possibly be broken or lost. Inevitably you will try everything to find your phone or get it working again, but to no avail – it’s gone.

1. Anger

Once the realisation that your phone is well and truly broken or lost you will then begin to feel angry. The unfairness and unjustness of losing or breaking a phone can be too much for some people, causing them to feel hard done by and angry.

2. Bargaining

Whether it’s texting or calling your phone to beg the person who finds it to return it, posting the dire situation on Facebook for sympathy and/or help, begging someone to donate their phone or find a miraculous fix – you will inevitably try to bargain your way out of the situation.

3. Depression

When the above fails, you will start to feel sorry for yourself. Remembering the good times you and your phone had together, the photos, emails and text messages you have saved. All this stuff is now potentially lost for good.

4. Acceptance

The final stage is acceptance that your mobile phone is broken or lost for the long term. You can now take a step back and be practical and look to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

Keep your phone and memories safe

To lessen the blow of phone grief, make sure you always back up with a MEEM memory cable and invest in mobile phone insurance like Love-It-Cover-It. They’ll help you to claim on a lost, stolen or broken phones quickly, also offering a VIP Service where they’ll come to your location to repair or replace your phone so you’re never be without a phone.