Phobia can be considered as an intense fear of something that has no actual danger or poses little threat in reality. When you have a phobia, you probably realize that your concern is irrational, but you still confront your feelings. The feeling of fear may become so compelling to the extent that the individual affected tries to avoid the situation or the feared objects. At the same time, they may become extremely anxious, or become panic-stricken, if they are forced to confront the fear. In most cases, the person with phobia becomes anxious when they think of the feared situation or object. Some of the everyday worries include heights, snakes, flying insects, highway driving, storms or deep water, among others. There are various ways to deal with a phobia.
One way of dealing with a phobia is to face the fears, step by step. This is a natural way of avoiding the situation or the thing. Facing fears is the key to conquering phobias. It is essential for someone with a phobia to gradually and repeatedly expose themselves to what they fear in a safe and controlled manner. This exposure will make the people living with phobia learn to ride out the fear and anxiety until it unavoidably goes away. With a repeated experience of facing your fear, one begins to realize that the worst is not going to occur and you are not going to lose it or die because of the fear. With every exposure, you will start feeling more comfortable and in control. It is essential to begin with an activity you can easily handle and work your way up from there, increasing your confidence and coping skills as you climb up the fear ladder. One needs to create a list, build the fear ladder, work his/her way up the ladder, and practice more often.
Secondly, it is essential for one to learn to calm down quickly. When anxious or afraid, one tends to experience various uncomfortable physical experiences like a suffocating feeling or racing heart. Such physical sensations can be frightening. But when one learns to calm down themselves quickly, they will become more confident in their ability to tolerate uncomfortable feelings and face the fears. In phobic situations, learn to perform a simple deep breathing exercise. When anxious, people often take quick, shallow breaths, which add to the physical feeling of anxiety. Breathing deeply from the abdomen tends to reverse the physical sensations and eases the sense of tense making one less short of breath and less anxious. You can practice this when you feel calm until you become familiar and at ease with the exercise.
Another way to deal with a phobia is to challenge the negative thoughts about it. With a phobia, one tends to be exposed to the situations they fear and underestimate their ability to cope up with it. The anxious thoughts that fuels and trigger fear are usually unrealistic and negative. When you write down the negative feelings, you develop when you experience phobia, you can start to challenge the inefficient ways of thinking. After identifying the negative thoughts, it is important to evaluate them. It is also important to develop positive statements to tell yourself in the face of a phobia. Another quick and most reliable approach to relieving the feeling of anxiety is by engaging one or more of the senses of touch, smell, sound, sight, or through movement. And because everyone is different in a way, it is essential to do some experimenting to know what is best for you. For instance, you can go for a walk, gently stretch, dance, run, or drum to help relieve anxiety. You can also look at anything that can make you smileor relaxed such as photos, or listen to soothing music, play a musical instrument, or sing a favorite song.
In conclusion, a phobia is noted as a feeling of fear for things or situations that may be unrealisticor have no actual or little danger. To deal with a phobia, one needs specific steps that would help lessen the feeling of tension and anxiety. One way to deal with a phobia is to methodically face the fears to build ones confidence and coping skills. One also needs to calm down quickly when faced with a phobia. Most importantly, it is essential to learn to challenge the negative feelings about a phobia that can underestimate their ability to cope up with the feeling. When these steps are taken, one can effectively deal with the problem of phobia.
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