Overcome a phobia that prevents achieving goals in life or having a good quality of life is very important. If it is allowed to pass, it can increase its intensity and be more difficult to treat.
It may be that at some point in your life you have felt a great fear of a certain object or situation and that this fear has made it difficult or prevented you from carrying out activities that at that moment you wanted.
For example, it could be that your fear of heights prevented you from riding the Ferris wheel, that the fear of insects prevented you from spending a pleasant day in the field or that your fear of needles prevented you from donating blood.
Remember that if you do not treat the problem, it may lead to more serious ones such as depression, addiction, family and work problems, anxiety attacks, panic attacks ...
If the phobia you suffer from is less serious, you can overcome it with the steps that I will explain below.
My advice is that any type of phobia should be treated, since a fear that at first may seem insignificant, over time can grow into a disabling phobia.
Before explaining how to overcome a phobia I will explain what a phobia is and what its symptoms are. This will indirectly help to control and overcome it..
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A phobia is an anxiety disorder that consists of a feeling of intense, disproportionate and persistent fear in the presence or anticipation of an object, animal or situation that poses little or no real danger to the affected person..
The person who suffers from a phobia is aware of their situation, that is, they know that their fear is excessive and irrational, that it has no logic, but even so they cannot avoid feeling that intense fear when they encounter the feared object or situation.
The severity of phobias can vary, that is, in some people it generates a slight uneasiness while in others the emotional reaction is of such intensity that it generates a great feeling of fear, anxiety attacks and even panic attacks.
These emotional reactions can be triggered by the presence or the mere imagination of what is feared.
For this reason, people who suffer from a phobic disorder try to avoid at all costs what scares them, but when this is not possible and they have to face what they fear, they do so with great fear, discomfort and anxiety.
People can develop phobias towards anything and towards any situation, so if I started to list all the types of existing phobias I would never end, which is why I am going to mention a few.
There are certain phobias that are more common than others among the population, such as:
There are also many other less common and more striking types of phobias than the previous ones, such as:
As I have said before, the person feels a lot of fear, intense fear, anxiety attacks and, sometimes, panic attacks. To all these reactions are added:
People feel a set of very unpleasant emotions, reactions and feelings that push them to avoid what they fear.
The first step to overcome a phobia is to identify the object or situation that you fear.
At first, this first step may seem easy, but be careful, as there is usually a lot of confusion. For example: the person may believe that they are afraid of elevators when in reality what they are afraid of is being locked up.
Take the time you need to identify your fear, as this step is key to overcoming your phobia.
Talking about your fears with other people has many benefits: it helps you identify your phobia, you vent, you receive advice, you feel supported and supported ...
If you do not find the support you need in your closest loved ones, look for a therapy or support group in which you feel comfortable and that will help you improve..
I am sure that within your phobia there are different situations that generate more or less anxiety. For example, if you are afraid of dogs, you may have mild anxiety seeing a dog in the distance and serious anxiety when touching it..
What you must do is a hierarchy in which all those different situations that generate fear are found, ordered from least to greatest intensity. Ideally, there should be a minimum of ten situations.
At this point, what is intended to achieve is that you break down your fear into smaller fears that are easier for you to face at first..
Performing some type of relaxation exercise can help you deal with your phobia.
This exercise can consist of visualizing a pleasant scene, doing some breathing exercise, meditation ... the important thing is that the exercise can be practiced at any time and in a discreet way.
Ideally, before exposing yourself to the feared object, perform this exercise, in this way, it will help you reduce your level of activation and it will be easier for you to face it..
At this point you must take your hierarchy of fears and expose yourself to the different situations in your imagination, visualizing them progressively.
Start with the first one, that is, the one that generates the least anxiety and begins to imagine yourself in that situation. It is normal that at first you feel some anxiety and tension, but do not worry, little by little it will decrease and you will feel how your muscles relax.
When you've been relaxed for a minute while imagining the first situation on your list, take a break and repeat it again. When you see that you hardly feel anxiety, you can move on to the next situation on your list.
This exercise must be done with all the situations in your hierarchy and its objective is to help you, through your imagination, to lower your activation level, in this way, when you go to face your fears in person you will be calmer.
Thoughts have great power when it comes to making you feel in one way or another, so if we modify the thoughts that generate anxiety, insecurity and fear, it is most likely that these emotions will change to more positive ones..
I encourage you to write down on paper those thoughts that arise when you think about the dreaded situation, and that you turn them into more positive thoughts that you can say to yourself when you face your phobia.
For example, the thought "I can't do it" can turn into "little by little and with effort I can get it.".
The time has come for you to put into practice everything you have learned in the previous steps and face in person the different situations of your hierarchy, that is, your fears.
As before, you should begin to expose yourself to your fears progressively, for the situation that generates the least anxiety. Don't force yourself, there's no rush. Slow and satisfactory exposure is preferable to rapid and inadequate.
When you have exposed yourself several times to a situation and notice that anxiety and fear have decreased considerably, move on to the next.
The objective of the exhibition is that you gradually tolerate the feared object and the associated reactions of anxiety and fear disappear.
For any disorder it is very important that your lifestyle habits are healthy.
Exercise regularly, eat healthy, rest enough hours, avoid the consumption of toxins ... All this affects your well-being.
Many doctors and psychiatrists prescribe anxiolytics and antidepressants to relieve the symptoms of some phobias.
The consumption of these drugs should only be done under medical supervision, since improper use of them can cause dependence and unwanted consequences.
To overcome a phobia you have to be patient, since they do not disappear immediately, but take time and effort.
Depending on the severity of the phobia, treatment can last several weeks or months. The important thing is to make an effort and reinforce all the achievements that one is achieving.
With patience, effort and desire, you will be able to overcome all your fears.
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