If you research over the internet, you will find more than 500 phobias in alphabetic order. All of us have some phobias. Some have acrophobia (fear of heights), some have Herpetophobia (fear of reptiles), & some even have an apparently foolish Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia. Ironic it may sound, but Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the fear of long words. In such situations, exploring Ways to Overcome Your Phobias can be helpful.
It is in human nature to avoid emotions that scare us to death. Nobody wants to walk directly into a situation that can be a painful experience. By constantly avoiding looking at the monster under the bed, you become hostage to the monster itself.
Ways to Overcome Your Phobias
1. Make A List
The first step in facing & Ways to Overcome Your Phobias is making a list of your phobias. Sit down calmly with a piece of paper & pen, open a word document if you want & start listing your phobias. Think about things that make you nervous or make you feel like you are going to faint.
Make a list without any shame or judgment & list them all. Don’t miss out on anything thinking that ‘it is too silly or trivial.’ Remember, some people have a fear of long words. No phobia is silly. They are the elements that hold us back from experiencing new things in life. They must be faced & addressed. Arrange those phobias in terms of severity.
If you are afraid of blood & the very sight of it makes your limbs shake, it should come at the top of the list. It goes down if you fear darkness but still manage to bear it somehow. Making a list will help you to identify your phobias.
2. Admit Your Phobias
The second step is admitting your phobias. Sometimes we don’t admit or accept our phobias, which can hurt our egos. But remember, denying a phobia only makes it worse.
There are even people in this world who are scared of cute kittens (Ailurophobia) or puppies (Cynophobia). There are even some people who are afraid of those cuddly teddy bears (Agrizoophobia).
If you don’t admit or accept your phobias, you will never be able to address them or eliminate them. Here, the ego doesn’t help. Your ego will tell you, ‘That’s okay, it is just a silly thing, you will be fine.’ But the same ego will stop you from addressing that phobia as it is too adamant to admit there is a problem. Don’t judge yourself & admit your phobias.
3. Use Humor
Remember in ‘Harry Potter & Prisoner of Azkaban’ where Professor Remus Lupin released a boggart in front of students & asked them to combat it? A boggart is a magical creature that takes the shape of the person’s worst fear standing before them. The power of a boggart can be taken away by inducing laughter. Hence, the magic spell was ‘ Riddikulus.’
It is a mere story but still gives us vital Tips to Overcoming Phobias. That is combating it with humor & wit. If you are afraid of dogs, think a simple magic spell like ‘shoo’ can make them run with their tail tucked between their legs. Find the silly & humorous side of your phobias & run them through your mind. This way, you will take away the power of the phobia to scare you.
4. Make Yourself Numb
Suppose you are holding a block of ice. It will feel like a thousand needles throbbing in your palm. But if you keep holding it, your palm will become numb & you won’t feel a thing. The same is true for phobias. That means you can be less & less affected by your phobia over time with safe & controlled exposure. You need to repeatedly expose yourself to your phobias.
For instance, if you are afraid of snakes, you may start by looking at images of flowers & plants that look like snakes, then move forward to the images of actual snakes. From there, you can watch videos of snakes &, eventually, be able to see snakes behind glass in a zoo without fainting.
5. Team Up
Social support plays a vital role in physical & mental health, & in the process of conquering phobias. When you are fighting hard to overcome your phobias, talking with trusted friends & family about it can be helpful. They can then help by listening, motivating, & celebrating when you finally overcome your phobias.
If a friend or a family member also suffers from a phobia, it can be useful for both people to go together. They can keep each other motivated to overcome the phobia & remind them that they are not alone.
6. Ask Yourself About The Evidence
Ask for the evidence behind your phobia. Is it legit? Does it have any credibility? You may find that many of your phobias are completely baseless. You may be terrified of snakes, but many people are. There is some evidence that nearly 138,000 deaths occur each year due to snakebite envenoming.
But remember, you are not living on a lonely island where medical attention can’t reach you. Though playing with a snake is not advisable, being terrified by its mere sight makes no sense. Repeatedly ask yourself, is there any evidence that shows otherwise? If you are terrified about taking a jab, consider why you need it. That jab is going to protect you from some virus or disease.
7. Exercise & Meditate
A healthy mind is needed to combat phobias & a healthy mind resides in a healthy body. Exercise regularly to be fit. Apart from getting in shape & shedding some extra kilos, exercise can help boost your confidence.
If you feel strong in your body, your mind will feel the same & prepare to combat your phobias. You can hit the gym, or free-hand exercise, cycling, jogging, & swimming are excellent forms of exercise.
Meditation can bring various benefits to you. You can be calmer, less stressed & more organized by practicing meditation. Meditation takes care of your mental health & we all know about our mind’s role in combating phobias. After all, it all is in mind.
8. Talk To A Therapist
Sometimes, these phobias are very deep-rooted. They may stem from some past trauma, bitter or sad experiences. In such cases, talking to a therapist can be helpful. Several qualified & experienced therapists are around; they can help you to understand the root of your phobias & treat them accordingly. Sometimes, we all need some professional’s advice.
Some Weird Phobias
After considering some Ways to Overcome Your Phobias, let’s look at some weird phobias that actually exist. We have already heard of Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia; here are some more:
- Turophobia: Fear of Cheese.
- Ergophobia: Fear of Work.
- Venustraphobia: Fear of Beautiful Women.
- Consecotaleophobia: Fear of Chopsticks.
- Genuphobia: Fear of Knees.
- Pogonophobia: Fear of Beards.
- Francophobia: Fear of French People and Their Culture.
- Sinistrophobia: Fear of Things to Your Left or Left-Handed People.
- Bibliophobia: A Fear of Books.
- Gamophobia: Fear of Marriage/Relationships/Commitment.
- Anuptaphobia: Fear of Being Single.
- Omphalophobia: Fear of Belly Buttons.
- Ithyphallophobia: Fear of Erect Penises.
- Euphobia: Fear of Good News.
- Porphyrophobia: Fear of The Purple Color.
- Arachibutyrophobia: Fear of Having Peanut Butter Stick To The Roof Of Your Mouth.
- Allodoxaphobia: Fear of Opinions.
- Deipnophobia: Fear of Dinner Parties/Conversations While Eating Dinner.
- Coprastasophobia: Fear of Being Constipated.
- Nomophobia: Fear of Being Out of Mobile Phone Coverage.
- Peladphobia: Fear of Bald People.
- Papaphobia: Fear of The Pope.
- Chirophobia: Fear of Hands.
- Panophobia: Fear of Everything.
- Oikophobia: Fear of Household Appliances.
- Phagophobia: Fear of Swallowing.
- Agyrophobia: Fear of Crossing the Street.
- Pentheraphobia: Fear of Mothers-In-Law.
FAQs
Q: Is it normal to have phobias?
A: It is absolutely normal. A study shows that nearly 12.5% of U.S. adults experience a particular phobia at some time.
Q: What are the most common phobias?
A: Some most common phobias are:
- Arachnophobia: Fear of Spiders.
- Claustrophobia.: Fear of Closed Spaces.
- Acrophobia: Fear of Heights.
- Entomophobia: Fear of Insects.
- Ophidiophobia: Fear of Snakes.
Q: Even after following Ways to Overcome Your Phobias, I cannot get over it; what should I do?
A: Refer to the 8th point of the article & talk to a therapist.
