‘There’s Fear in the Air’ Series
Oh my! There are so many types of fear or phobia! There is a list I saw for over 500. Not to list them here, but it is amazing what we can be afraid of. One of the synonyms I saw was creeps. Jitters, nervousness, willies – they are all familiar terms. So, my question became, when do things that alarm us, panic us, worry or scare us – turn into a phobia?
Definition of Phobia
Phobia – the definition I saw was from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
“An exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation”.
Any fear that becomes out of control would be considered a phobia. The 1828 dictionary does not have the definition of phobia. But a record in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary indicates it was first used in 1786 and referred to its use in the same definition as above.
Even talking about fear stirs emotions. So, why do we need that emotion? Discussion lends answers like:
- For Protection
- For Survival
- To keep us dependent and weak
Is it a learned fear or is it inherent in humans and animals? It can be both. It has been both. Everyone has a fear response at one time or another and in one degree or another. Some say it is a result of negative thoughts. Where do the negative thoughts come from? Everyone has negative thoughts about something. On the positive side, compassion and empathy can be inherent or it can be learned.
It is so much easier to be negative than it is positive. Whether that is inherent or learned, if we want to live freely in our lives, we need to be rid of anything that cripples us or is used in us to have a negative influence in others. A much better focus is to first be aware of what we are feeling, recognize the good and bad of it.
Common Types of Fear or Phobias
- Acrophobia is the fear of heights.
- Agoraphobia is the fear of open places or leaving a safe place.
- Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders.
- Atychiphobia is the fear of failure.
- Autophobia is the fear of being alone.
- Aviophobia is the fear of flying.
- Nyctophobia is the fear of the dark or the fear of night
- Ophidiophobia is the fear of snakes
- Photophobia is the fear of light
- pyrophobia is the fear of fire
- Thanatophobia is the fear of death
Reasons to Avoid Phobias
This is an answer that you have to give. No one forced you to fear that the thing or person. You are the one who will be able to decide how you will live with or without it. Here’s some questions that I have asked myself and others:
- Does it cause you anxiety to the degree you can not live normally?
- Are you a people pleaser, are you making this decision independently?
- Are you hiding an emotion that were you to deal with – you would be able to let go of the phobia?
- Is the phobia keeping you from something you want?
- Is it keeping something or someone away?
- Is it a healthy, protective issue?
- Are you in an unhealthy fear mode?
- Are you weakened or more dependent by keeping the phobia?
- Are you safer for having fear and being afraid?
- Do you have the fear and do not know why?
- Do you want to keep the phobia?
Everyone has fears, some have phobias. Fear is meant to protect you and strengthen you to live a courageous life by avoiding things or people that can harm you. It is not mean to keep you in a prison. There is a time, if you have had a severely abusive background that you needed to hang on to that phobia for protection. But are you in that same space now? Children outgrow fears of childhood and when they are ready, they let courage take them the rest of their lives. Courage is the opposite of fear. When we are ready to take the hand of courage, we can let go. But give yourself grace in the meantime. Do not hurry the process unless you want to. You will be ready one day – wait for it.
When my desire to enjoy snow skiing overpowered my fear, I was able to work through my phobia. There are some fears and anxieties more difficult for me. It is all about making a decision. There is a great many of ministries and groups that can help make those decisions.
*Note: This series, started in 2019 before COVID19 became known, prepared me for the global fear to come.
