Want to know about specific types of phobias? Want to know how to overcome your fears? This blog is made for all you people interested in fears and phobias! While providing a brief description about phobias, I like to add in my own twist. Keep checking each week for your fear may be written about next!
Sadly, all good things must come to an end. This is my final blog about fears and phobias
and I must admit that I enjoyed writing about the different types fears and
phobias. However, I promise to leave all
you bloggers with a memorable list of the wackiest phobias (in my opinion) all
the way from A to Z.
Before I reveal my list of what I think to be the wackiest
phobias, let’s take a brief look at phobias I covered throughout these few
weeks.
The first few blogs in the month of January included:
We have all see people walk out of the bathroom without
washing their hands. We’ve all seen
children pick their nose then touch an object.
We have all been exposed to germs. Germs are everywhere and they are
mysophobia sufferer’s worst nightmare!
According to psychologist, Lisa Fritscher, mysophobia is the
fear of germs. Yet, this phobia refers to an “unhealthy fear of contamination”.
For example, it is normal and wise to be concerned about issues such as
cross-contamination of foods, exposure of bodily fluids from others and
maintaining good hygiene. However, if you suffer from mysophobia, these normal
concerns become exaggerated.
Mysophobia is linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD.
According to Fritscher, one of the most common symptoms of mysophobia is
frequent hand washing, which is also a common symptom of OCD. However, the
motivation for the hand washing is different. People with OCD feel obligated to
wash their hands as a way to relieve stress.
On the other hand, people with mysophobia feel compelled to complete the
act specifically to remove germs.
Symptoms of mysophobia include:
·
Shaking,
·
Heart palpitations
·
Sweating
·
Crying when exposed to dirt or bacteria.
These symptoms may occur only when the object of your phobia
is visible. For example, digging in a
garden. These symptoms may even occur when the person suffering from mysohobia believes
that germ contact may have occurred, such as shaking hands with someone or
using a doorknob.
Mysophobia
sufferers may also demonstrate unusual behaviors. For example, they may take
multiple showers each day. They may even carry and use hand sanitizer
frequently and may be unwilling to use public restrooms, share food or take
public transportation.
Since people with mysophobia fear germs carried by others,
the condition can lead them to avoid social situations, such as work parties,
holiday get-togethers and meetings. When and if the person does decide to
participate, they may find themselves avoiding physical contact and sanitizing
their hands more frequently.
Over time, these behaviors can lead to
isolation. Friends and relatives might not understand, and they could perceive
you as hostile or even paranoid. Sometimes other phobias can develop from
mysophobia. Mysophobia sufferers could develop social phobia, in which a
person fears contact with other human beings.
Sometimes mysophobia sufferers eventually chooses to isolate themselves
altogether, which leads to agoraphobia, which is the fear of
being trapped in a situation where escape is impossible or embarrassing, or
help is unavailable in case of a panic attack.
Fortunately, mysophobia can be successfully managed. It is
important to visit a mental health professional as soon as possible because the
condition tends to worsen over time.
According to Fritscher, cognitive-behavioral therapy is the most common
form of treatment for mysophobia. Sometimes the therapist may encourage the
mysophobia sufferer to explore the root of the phobia, which can help control
the symptoms of the phobia.
Although germs are repulsive, try not to the let them get in
the way of you living your life.
Also, make sure you stay tuned for my next blog, as I will
discuss the top weirdest phobias!
Take a minute to
yourself and stop and think. How do you
feel when you succeed on a project, a math test or even at a sport? How do you feel when you fail? Do you give up? Do you let failure ruin your day or do you
see failure as a chance to try again?
According to www.allaboutcounseling.com, atychiphobia is the fear of failure.
This fear can be so powerful that it can hold back an individual from
completing anything that he or she cannot be successful at. This phobia can
become very serious.
Symptoms of this phobia
include:
·Extreme mentalanxiety
·Digestive Issues
·Headache
·Muscle Tension
·Panic
These symptoms will usually arise
in an individual suffering from atychiphobic when he or she is asked to do a
new task. The mental process of the individual will also become so filled with
fear that the individual may “break
down” when put into situations that may end in failure. If the phobia remains
untreated, symptoms will continue to worsen over time. A loss of motivation and
drop in self-confidence will soon follow.
This may lead to even more severe symptoms, such as depression.
Overcoming the fear of failure is
entirely dependent on how willing, motivated and determined an individual is to
make the personal change. While there is no complete cure to atychiphobia, there
are methods to overcome this phobia by changing your thought process to better
cope with frightening situations.
Prescribed medication is usually not
encouraged for most patients. As there is no cure for atychiphobia, many
doctors see these drugs as “hiding” the problem instead of actually treating
the problem. Other treatment methods are available and have shown some positive
results in treating atychiphobic behavior.
Counselingis the most popular option to treating
this phobia. By visiting with a trusted counselor, an individual will be able
to open up and create new coping strategies to deal with stressful situations.
Self-help methods, as well as other
strategies like hypnotherapy, can also be useful in dealing with the fear of
failure and can help the patient understand that failure is part of life.
If you feel that you may be
suffering from this phobia it is important to get help. Talk to a counselor and remember to not let
the fear of failure keep you from trying.
Remember that with failure comes success.
Make sure to check back next week
for a new phobia! Your phobia may be
next!
Imagine feeling the wind
through your hair as a cart carries you through sharp curves and sudden
changes. Imagine feeling your blood pump through your veins as that cart transports
you through swift twists and loops. Imagine feeling butterflies in your stomach
as you plunge from a 100-foot drop. Imagine taking yourself on a thrill
ride.
While roller coasters are the
most popular theme park attraction, not everyone enjoys the thrill ride. Coasterphobia is the fear of roller
coasters. According to psychologist, Lisa
Fritscher, coasterphobia is triggered by other phobias. Those phobias include:
·Acrophobia -The fear of heights is a
phobia that can range from standing on the rooftop of a building to the
inability of climbing a stepladder. Acrophobia is sometimes confused with vertigo,
medical condition that can cause dizziness or a spinning sensation at any
height. Roller coasters tend to be tall, with long drops, making them
challenging for those with a fear of heights.
·Illygnophobia - The fear of vertigo may
be related to the fear of heights. However, those with illygnophobia are not
afraid to be up high. Instead, they are afraid that looking down might cause
dizziness and vertigo. Those with illygnophobia fear roller coaster not because
of their height, but because of the curves may lead to dizziness.
·Claustrophobia– For safety, roller
coaster seats are small and tight, and the restraints fit extremely snugly.
Those who are uncomfortable with enclosed spaces often find that the worst part
of a coaster is being locked down with no escape.
·Social Phobia -Some people do not fear
the roller coaster itself, but instead worry that they will have an
embarrassing reaction to the coaster. Roller coaster trains tend to be long and
hold a number of people. Those with social phobia may worry that they will be
judged for screaming, cringing, or otherwise reacting to the coaster’s
movements.
·Mysophobia - On a roller coaster, it
is impossible to maintain much distance between yourself and those around you.
Those with mysophobia, or fear of germs, may worry about coming into contact
with strangers and their germs. In addition, there is always the possibility
that someone on the coaster will vomit or urinate, possibly exposing the phobic
person to those disgusting bodily fluids.
·Emetophobia - The fear of vomiting is
surprisingly common. Those who suffer from this fear may go to great lengths to
avoid situations that they feel could cause an upset stomach. As roller
coasters are designed to be unsettling, the physical sensations could cause
someone with emetophobia to skip the ride.
Most phobias
involving a certain object or
situation are triggered by a traumatic experience that occurred during a person’s childhood.
Even if the actual incident is not remembered, the emotional scarring remains. Riding aroller coaster as a young child could
possibly be one of thesetraumatic
events.
Symptoms
of coasterphobia are generally classified into two different categories:
physical and psychological.Common physical symptoms include:
Shortness of breath
Irregular heartbeat
Rapid breathing
Sweating
Nausea
The commonpsychological effects include:
Fear
Anxiety
Panic
Dread
Like other
phobias, coasterphobia can be cured and there are ways to face this thrilling
fear. In fact, in 1999, Dr. Michael Otto, Ph.D. –
director of the cognitive behavioral therapy program at Massachusetts General
Hospital and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School was hired by
Universal Studios in Florida to come up with a solution to cure coasterphobia.
Michael Otto worked with psychologist Brian Newmark to develop the
Coasterphobia Stress Management Program. This program's goal was to help
coasterphobics learn techniques that they could use before and during the ride
to overcome their anxiety. Here are some
of the tips Dr. Michael Otto came up with that are still used today.
1.Make sure you are not
being pressured or pushed into riding the roller coaster; this will only add to
the feeling of not being in control.
2.While waiting in line,
try relaxation exercises. Practice tensing and slowly releasing your muscles
as you breathe in for four counts and out for eight.
3.It is important that you
picture yourself enjoying the strange sensations involved in riding roller
coasters. Anticipating fear and anxiety will only make it happen faster
and stronger.
4.Outsmart the "scare
factor." Remember that the loops and sudden drops are part of the roller
coaster and are perfectly safe.
5.During the ride, scream.
Screaming stops you from holding your breath and helps relieve tension.
6.Keep your eyes open.
Being able to see what is happening actually helps terminate fear and
nausea.
Follow these tips and you may learn
to enjoy any scream machine. Stay tuned
next week as I introduce a new phobia!
