Fear Health Feed

Have you ever experienced spine-chilling terror, which in hindsight does not make any rational sense, from an object, place, or creature? If you have then you suffer from a phobia. A phobia is basically an anxiety disorder that is triggered when you encounter specific things.

What you should know about phobias?

If you have a phobia of spiders, you will try to adapt your life in such a way that you avoid spiders. However, your fear for the object or creature is often greater than the actual threat that it poses. This is why phobias are deemed as diagnosable medical conditions. If you suffer from phobias, the trigger can cause you to experience a panic attack.

What are the different types of phobias?

Even though there are numerous kinds of phobias based on the trigger, doctors classify phobias broadly into three main types.

1. Specific Phobia - As the name suggests, specific phobia is any phobia that is caused due to the introduction of the trigger item or creature in your surroundings. This is the most common type of phobia in the world. However, specific phobias are easier to avoid, as you simply need to avoid the trigger for the phobia to lead a normal life.

2. Social Phobia - This is a great fear or anxiety of facing public humiliation. People with social phobia isolate themselves from the rest of the world to avoid social embarrassment. However, social phobia is not the same as shyness.

3. Agoraphobia - This is a kind of phobia where you feel trapped in a certain environment. If you suffer from agoraphobia, you will be afraid of most confined spaces, such as elevators and rooms without windows.

Factors that can cause phobias:

Phobias usually start in early childhood or during the teenage years. It is very rare for a new phobia to develop after a person reaches 30 years of age. Doctors believe that phobias may form due to a traumatic or frightening experience in life. Furthermore, you are more likely to experience phobias if one or more of your family members suffer from it as well.

• Specific phobias - Your phobia of snakes or cockroach may be chalked back to a frightening experience you had with such creatures.

• Complex phobias - Medical experts believe that complex phobias form due to a mixture of a traumatic event, genetics and the chemistry in your brain.

Is treating a phobia possible?

If you think you suffer from a phobia, you can seek medical help for it. A trained psychologist/psychiatrist will help you reduce the discomfort from your phobia. A mixture of behavioural therapy along with medication is useful in treating cases of phobia.

However, if you do not suffer from a complex phobia, such as agoraphobia or social anxiety, you can live a normal life by simply avoiding the source of your fears.

You are about to go on stage to face the audience. Palms sweaty, heart racing and fear gripping you in such a way that your feet or tongue refuse to move? Relax! You are having a short period of stage fright. The first and most comforting thing to know is that the biggest and most popular performers and speakers also go through a period of nervousness before their big show. And yet, when you see them on stage, you'll not detect a bit of it. You can be that person too.

Why do you experience stage fright?
Being the centre of attention among the audience focused only on you can trigger thoughts of a bad or unconvincing performance resulting in loss of reputation, mockery and a perception of failure. The physical response your body has to this is called "fight or flight" syndrome which is a natural process designed to protect you.

So how do you face the situation and get better of it? Here are a few steps to get you there: 

1. Self-hypnosis / Hypnotherapy for stage fright: Imagine if you believed that you are a master public speaker and can feel calm and confident during every performance! A self-hypnosis or hypnotherapy session allows you to reach out into the recesses of your subconscious mind and harness its power to handle stressful situations like a stage performance. You may have heard the common proverb - You are what you believe, and this therapy proves it. The process will help you visualize your actual performance and link it with positive, encouraging and enjoyable images which will replace your anxiety with confidence. You can either visit a consultant or buy a CD online.

2. NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) for stage fright: NLP was created in the 1970s by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in California as a connection between neurological process, linguistic and behavioural patterns learnt through experience or programming. NLP claims to cure everything of phobias to depression to even the common cold. Though not scientifically proven, NLP uses a set of mental exercises to allow you to change your perception and blockages and hesitation into positive actions. Similar to hypnosis, it'll allow you to program yourself to believe and practice for a positive outcome in order to achieve it.

Add the wow factor: Anyone giving you their time deserves to leave with a 'wow'. Add facts, figures or moves that'll give them that. Add 'your' touch and style to it.

Being away or oblivious to social media is synonymous to not following the herd. Social media probably is no more the latest fad; it is the given code to take a deeper look into the present age. The rewarding fact about social networking sites is their ability to transport us to people and places millions of miles away from us. This epoch with its dictates of overproduction and maximum utilization of labour, snatches away the boon of communication. Social media gifts us with easy communication and wider access.  

1. Social media creates peer pressure- Coming in continuous contact with occurrences in other people's life can lead to a mental setback. You may feel low on comparing your achievements with that of others. Consciously or unconsciously you are struggling throughout to be at par with them who are seemingly jubilant. Virtual peer pressure is realized by many. 

2. It can bring us at close quarters with penitence- Persistent grief or regret can take a toll on your mental health. It can make you depressive. Depression is again not a healthy thing for personal growth and development. It usually results in a lack of motivation.
 
3. You tend to panic more through continued use of social media- If you have not been in touch with social media for a couple of days you are instilled with the fear of losing out on incidents. You panic regarding what has been happening all over the world that in reality will in most cases bear no effect on you.
  
4. It accustoms you to the glamorous appeal of drugs- Social media tends to showcase the ills of society as glamorous contributing factors of life. It celebrates the vices of drugs and other addictive agents as virtues. Young adults are therefore easily incited to give in to addiction.

Positive effects of social media on your mental health:-

1. Social media will let you take a break from hovering tasks and responsibilities. 
2. Helps you connect with long lost friends. Social networking sites will bring you close to new and old friends alike. 
3. Real society is overly judgmental. It prohibits you from coming across as your true self. Virtual media allows you to come out of your cocoon and helps you feel comfortable about yourself.