A population-based survey in 22 countries revealed that the cross-national lifetime and 12-month prevalence rate for specific phobia is 7.4% and 5.5%, respectively, according to a study on NCBI. Fear is a natural reaction that warns your body to be cautious of certain emotions or situations.
While fear helps you avoid events or objects that scare you, allowing it to become a pattern can significantly affect your mental and physical health. To ensure you maintain a healthy lifestyle, consider online therapy in Nigeria, one-on-one counseling sessions, or natural remedies.
Whether you’re afraid of insects, water, or have a fear of failure and abandonment, here’s how you can overcome personal fears.
Understand Your Fears
Learning more about your fears is necessary if you want to live a healthier life. Ideally, it’s impossible to overcome a phobia if it’s hidden in your subconscious. So, instead of running away from fear, consider facing it.
This step creates awareness, which helps you deal with whatever you’re afraid of. To manage your fears successfully, keep a journal where you can record patterns and effects.
Ensure you note down things that trigger your phobias and the symptoms you experience. Writing everything about personal fears helps you break them down. That way, they no longer seem big and uncontrollable.
Envision Success
Many mental health experts argue preconceived thoughts, learned behaviors, and environmental triggers cause fear. And one of the best ways to manage fear is to unlearn behaviors and change your thinking.
With this in mind, make an effort to visualize success when facing feared objects or environments. For instance, if you are afraid of swimming or large water bodies, imagine yourself having fun splashing water and taking a refreshing dip. Doing so can help you cope with aquaphobia with ease.
Face Your Fears
This step entails exposing yourself to things that scare you so that you can boost personal growth. For example, if you avoid swimming because you’re afraid of drowning, spend more time around pools. Try sitting by the poolside and get your feet wet.
As you gain more confidence, sign up for swimming classes and start small. Experts recommend getting inside the pool and try to walk while holding the railing. With time you’ll be confident to stand without support and splash water all over your body.
Your swimming instructor will also teach you how to float and tread in water. Most importantly, they’ll explain ways you can prevent accidental drowning in pools and open water bodies.
Seek Professional Help
Living with a fear of places, animals, or objects can interfere with your well-being. And while you can overcome phobia by yourself, it’s advisable to seek professional help.
Talking to a mental health expert helps you know the cause of your fears and how to cope with them. In the case your condition is severe, your doctor will recommend different therapies for fear.
Living with phobias can be stressful because you’re always thinking of how to avoid some objects and situations. Luckily, you can manage fear and lead a healthy lifestyle by following some simple steps. Start by understanding your fears, visualize success, face your phobias, and seek professional assistance.
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