Phobia – The crippling terror you experience when you are about to do something you are terrified of. It goes to the extent of you being unable to move from where you stand. It could involve going great lengths to avoid facing the feared thing or situation.
Phobia is defined as the persistent fear of an object or situation in which the sufferer commits to great lengths in avoiding, typically disproportional to the actual danger posed, often being recognized as irrational. A person suffering from any kind of Phobia may go to extreme measure to avoid being in the situation or to avoid the thing they fear. A person phobic of the dark (Nyctophobia) will panic, perspire, or even faint at the mere thought of being in a dark area. They would do anything in their power to avoid being in darkness.
Phobias are irrational, but they are often related to a traumatic experience in the past. Why do you have to get over a phobia? Phobias can sometimes go undetected until you face that situation or object. People would never know they have a deadly fear of snakes until they encounter one. In the case of a normal fear, you would feel anxious, or nervous about being put in that situation. With phobias, you would avoid such situations all together, no matter how important the situation might be. For example, a person afraid of needles would probably be anxious when getting a shot, or getting their blood drawn. A person who has a phobia of needles would avoid going to the doctor, no matter how necessary the treatment is.
There are many ways you could overcome your phobia:
1)Face your fears: It is natural to avoid things which you fear. But facing them, one step at a time will help you conquer your fear. Slowly expose yourself to the fear. You will realise that your phobia is not really that daunting!
2)One step at a time: Create a list of things related to the experience that scare you. List them from least scary, to most scary and work your way up the list. The aim is to condition yourself to not being scared of that situation or thing anymore. Practice these steps regularly and overcome your phobia.
3)Relax: Develop methods to relax yourself when facing such a situation. Practice breathing techniques. This will relax your muscles, and take your mind of the panic of the current situation. Relaxation techniques are a great way to reduce fear, anxiety, and panic attacks. They will also help with stress management.
4) Challenge the negative thoughts: Most of the times, anxiety or panic in these situations is caused by overthinking the event. We associate anything bad happening with a catastrophic event. For example, if the captain of a plane says that there is some turbulence ahead, we immediately imagine that the plane is going to crash and we are going to die. In these cases, it is best to question your own thinking. Has the plane you’ve been in ever faced any problems? Are all the other passengers also worried about the same? Finally, what would you tell someone else who is making this assumption? You will realise that you are merely over analysing the information, and you need to relax.
5) Seek help: Having someone listen to your fears and reacting in a calm and rational way may be all you need to calm yourself down. Reach out to people around you who are willing to keep you calm and collected. Family and friends are always around to help you in tough situations.
If however, your fear seems to stay unaffected despite your best efforts, counselling will surely help. With the help of guidance from the right professional, you can learn to manage your phobias. It is recommended that in the case of acute phobias, even simple techniques mentioned in this article should be done in consultation with a qualified professional.
If you have been grappling with fear that comes in the way of your lifestyle, please do connect with the experts on HealthEminds panel!
contributed by : Kirthana D.