A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder that causes the feeling of extreme and irrational fear about a particular object or situation. Everyone has some or another fear in their lives. For some people the fears are mild and it does not affect their lifestyle. However, for some, the phobia can cause extreme discomfort and impact their day-to-day life significantly. The impact can be so severe that it can lead to panic attacks, dizziness, nausea, etc. We list down some of the common phobias that people struggle with;
Social PhobiaSocial phobia is the fear that revolves around social interactions and situations. This fear starts creeping in at the age of puberty and can stay for life long. Fear of speaking in public is one of the common symptoms.
- Cynophobia
Cynophobia is the fear of dogs. It is one of the most common phobias and many people have it. Generally, this type of fear develops when a person has had a traumatic experience personally.
- Arachnophobia
Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders. It is one of the most common fears across the globe. It affects around 1 in 4 men and 1 in 3 women.
- Acrophobia
Acrophobia is the fear of heights. Around 20 million people in the world are affected by this phobia. This phobia often causes panic and anxiety attacks. In this modern world, travelling by aeroplane is common and it may get difficult to deal with this phobia.
- Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is the fear of getting involved in such places or situations where escaping is difficult. This phobia gets triggered in public places with large crowds, confined places, etc. This type of fear is more common in women than men.
The above mentioned are some of the common phobias people suffer. Often people confuse normal fear with phobia. On final understanding, both are entirely different from each other. A phobia causes constant, unreasonable and excessive fear. Whereas normal fear can be doing something which you are reluctant but still would do it.
It is important to overcome phobia on time. Professional therapy and treatment are the most common ways to overcome it. However, if you want to help someone going through a phobia, you can do the following;
- When someone is going through phobia, take their phobia seriously. Do not make them feel abnormal and ask them to get over it. Such an attitude would cause more distress to the person.
- Always try to understand the phobia of a person and show empathy to them. Learn about how phobias can affect a person and support them in this fight.
- Ask the person what would help them to feel better. They might know the ways to get over their fear and your help could turn to be important.
- Act as the support system of the person suffering from a phobia. Your help will keep them away from negative thoughts. Keep reminding them of the positive progress they are making. This would help them in overcoming their fear.
The above mentioned are some of the ways to help someone suffering from a phobia. Going through phobias is completely normal and anyone can experience it. With proper treatment and assistance from close people, a person can recover from their fears. . If at any point in life you find difficulty in overcoming your fears, you may get in touch with Living In Wellbeing’s expert counsellors. They will understand your situation and guide you towards becoming a stronger person.
