Oh the irony!

Fears and phobias are a very interesting topic to research because not only do you learn about all the unusual, yet attention-grabbing phobias, but you also learn a lot about yourself.  You learn that you are not the only person in the world experiencing a specific phobia; you are not alone.  You learn reasons as to why people fear these specific phobias.  Finally, you learn how lucky you are to not be afraid of such things. 

According to psychologist Lisa Fritscher, one of the world’s most unusual phobias is the fear of long words. Ironically, that fear is called Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.  What’s so ironic about this fear you ask?  Well, let’s start by taking a quick glance at the length of the phobia name.  It’s a long word! And the fear is…fear of long words!

After researching this fear, the first thing that came to my mind was how lucky I am to not have Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.  Before I get into more detail about why I feel lucky to not be afraid of long words, let’s talk more about this phobia, the symptoms, and how to overcome it.  Just in case anyone reading this blog does have this phobia (in which I apologize for any long words that my cause you to fear my blog). According to Fritscher, some of the symptoms of Hippopotomonstrosesquinppedaliophobia include:

·      Shaking
·      Freezing in place
·      Sweating
·      Limiting your speaking and writing vocabulary
·      Losing interest in school
·      Excuses for not reading or doing homework

However, for many people, the fear of long words is mild. Fritscher states “If yours does not significantly impact your life, making a conscious effort to expand your vocabulary can help.”  To help overcome this fear, look for opportunities to discover new words through reading or everyday conversation. If you come across a word that appears to be uncanny, look it up in the dictionary. Familiarity can alleviate the symptoms of anxiety when it comes to this fear. If Hippopotomonstrosesquinppedaliophobia begins to impact your daily life, then it would be best to seek professional assistance.

Now that I briefly explained symptoms of Hippopotomonstrosesquinppedaliophobia and how to overcome this phobia, let me explain why I feel so fortunate to not fear long words.
My major is Mass Communication with a concentration of public relations, advertising, and journalism (or PAJ as us MCOM students call it.)  My major involves a lot of writing and to be completely honest with you, I love it.  I love everything about this major! I love writing and being able to use my creativity.   If I would have been one of the few that fear long words, I wouldn’t be able to do what I love. 

 I realized that not everyone is able to do what he or she loves because of fear; not everyone is as lucky as I am.To all of you out there who are doing what you love, remember how lucky you are.  Instead of doing what you love to do, you could be living in your life wishing you weren’t afraid. Remember how lucky you truly are. To all of you who are unable to do what you love because of fear, I hope one day you find the courage in yourself to overcome your fear; I hope you find it sooner than later.  Remember to never let the fear of striking out keep your from playing the game.