Welcome!
Is a phobia keeping you from doing things you'd like to do?
Yes!?
You are not alone. We all have them. In different manifestations maybe..but its ever present and needs to be fought hard. And good news! Its a battle that can be won.
2 quick stories:
a) This weekend at friend's place, it got to this point when the really hot and blazing sun had set and we were about to eat the evening dose of the daily bread that the good Lord had provided, when suddenly a flying cockroach thought it the best time to bond with my friend by flying onto his clothes. Needless to say the reaction I saw my friend exhibit would last for a long time in my memory..lol. Turns out he had a fear of cockroaches.
b) This is my first ever article on Hive after being absent for a pretty long time. I came on to see a lot of changes and i was having this nagging fear of what to talk about that will be of benefit to Hive members. Also seeing the quality of posts in this community I wondered if I could measure up. Lastly I was not sure how the community members were going to react to my post. All these thoughts initially discouraged me from making an article. But here's my first article meaning I was successfully able to break through the Fear Barrier.
You ask-How did i overcome? Well, welcome again..the journey just begun. We would get there.
Today is Day 1 and I'd like to call it the Awareness part of the Journey.
Shall we begin?
What is a Phobia?
A phobia is defined as the persistent fear of a situation, activity, or thing that causes the sufferer to want to avoid it.
Are Fears and Phobias the same?
Okay, everyone has at least some fears and situations they try to avoid. What distinguishes phobias from ordinary fears is that the anxiety:
Is not rational
Is more extreme and continous
Usually leads to aggressive elusion of the objects or situations that cause the fear
Hinders everyday activities,relationships and causes significant distress
Types?
There are 3 types of phobias:
Specific phobia—fear of a particular object or situation that causes elusion of normal activities
Social anxiety disorder—fear of being judged by other people and acting in a way that could cause unease and awkwardness
Agoraphobia—fear of being in public, especially when a panic attack may set in when expecting it
Am I at Higher Risk?
Those who fall into these categories may be at higher risk:
A genetic proneness to anxiety
Age&Socioeconomic status eg children or people with a low socioeconomic status are more likely to have social phobias.
Gender may be a risk factor only for some phobias. For example, females are more likely to have animal phobias.
In Conclusion
An excessive and irrational fear reaction is a called a phobia and its impact can range from annoying to severely disabling. A lot of people with phobias usually realize their fear is unfounded, but are unable to do anything about it. It can interfere with work, school, and personal relationships and so needs to be tackled head on.
UP NEXT: Part 2: The Causatives Part of the Phobia Journey.
