Fear is the most powerful and the most ancienthuman emotion. It warns us of possible danger, so fear played a decisive role in the survival of our ancestors. But today this emotion, which can in no way be called pleasant, still exists, although it no longer plays a special role in the preservation of humanity. And not only does it exist, but sometimes it greatly disturbs this or that person. How to overcome fear if it has already crossed the boundaries of reason?

Psychology of fear

What is the nature of fear anyway?It can be divided into two types: fear, as a biochemical response of our body to a certain situation, and fear, which is an emotional reaction. The biochemical response is universal, while the emotional reaction is always individualized. Biochemical reaction When we face a potential threat, our body reacts in a certain way. The physical reaction includes sweating, increased heart rate, and high levels of adrenaline in the blood. This is exactly the reaction that our ancestors needed, because it prepared their body either for a quick escape or to fight the enemy. The biochemical reaction of the body is an automatic response to a dangerous situation, and it is automatism that was of great importance for survival. Emotional reaction The emotional response to fear, as we have already said, is personalized. Some people release adrenaline into the blood when doing extreme sports, for example, others are afraid of speaking in front of a large audience, and someone can be scared to death by a small spider that the wind has blown onto the sleeve of their clothing along with its web. Some people will try their best to avoid situations that cause them to experience attacks of fear, while others, on the contrary, are thrill-seekers and try to tickle their nerves as often as possible. And although everyone will have the same physical reaction to a dangerous situation, from an emotional point of view, some will perceive fear as a negative emotion, while others will perceive it as a positive one. It all depends on the individual. Getting used to fear Repeated exposure to the same frightening situations leads to the fact that fear begins to dull. The human brain gains some “experience”: this situation does not lead to danger. The biochemical reaction ceases to be so violent, and the person stops being afraid. This pushes adrenaline junkies to seek out new and more intense sensations. The same mechanism of addiction is also the basis for treating some phobias. We will talk about this a little later.

Psychology of phobia

One aspect of anxiety disorder can bethere is a tendency to develop a fear of experiencing fear again. Where most people tend to experience fear only in a situation that occurs suddenly and seems frightening to them, people suffering from anxiety disorders are afraid in advance that they will be afraid. You could say they know that they will be afraid even when the frightening situation has not yet occurred. And they will avoid it at all costs. A phobia is a distortion of the normal fear response. Here, the fear is directed at an object or situation that does not pose a real danger. The sufferer recognizes that his fear is completely unfounded, but cannot overcome his reaction. Over time, the phobia tends to intensify if nothing is done. What types of phobias are there It is probably very difficult to list all the phobias. This is exactly the case when we can talk about the personalization of fear - it all depends on the individual. There is a fear of death, a fear of the sight of blood, and even a fear of developing a phobia (phobophobia). The most common phobias are:

• Social phobia - fear of interaction with other people;
• Claustrophobia - fear of enclosed spaces;
• Agoraphobia is the fear of large open spaces and clusters of people;
• Erythrophobia - fear of blushing;
• Hypochondria is the fear of getting sick;
• Autophobia is the fear of driving;
• Aerofobia - fear of flying;
• Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders;
• Zoophobia is the fear of animals.

Social phobia can start asshyness, which then becomes too strong and can ruin your whole life. Agoraphobia is often associated with panic attacks, and people suffering from it try by all means to avoid places that can cause them to panic. It must be said that specific phobias are much easier to live with than more general phobias. After all, it is much easier to avoid contact with, say, spiders than with a large group of people. Symptoms that occur with phobias Symptoms may appear in a person suffering from a phobia when he is near the object that causes him to panic, or even when thinking about this object. Common symptoms include:

• Dyspnea;
• Strong heartbeat;
• Nausea;
• Dizziness;
• Darkness in eyes;
• Strong fear of death.

In some cases, the symptoms of a phobia maydevelop into a full-blown panic attack. To avoid such feelings, a person begins to seek isolation, which can seriously disrupt the normal course of his life.

How to cope with phobias and fears

Fear becomes a phobia when you have to changeyour lifestyle, severely limiting yourself. But you don’t have to live with a phobia. All types of obsessive fears are treatable. Some phobias, such as the fear of snakes, usually do not affect everyday life. But some phobias force a person to radically change their lifestyle. They begin to refuse work because they are afraid to ride in transport, or stop leaving the house to avoid meeting people. For such sufferers, there are no other options for overcoming fear except to seek help from specialists. Treatment of phobias The main method of treating phobias is systematic desensitization, causing habituation to fear (or to the object that causes fear). This method works with physiological and emotional reactions in order to reduce the feeling of fear. The client is gradually led through a series of situations somehow related to the object of his fear. For example, a client with a fear of snakes first goes through the procedure of talking about snakes. In subsequent sessions, he will look at pictures and photos of snakes, play with a toy snake, and eventually he will come into close contact with the snake - for example, he will look at the snake through the glass of the terrarium or even pick up a grass snake. It is very important that all these sessions are carried out only under the guidance of a specialist! This is a potentially traumatic method, but it has an excellent chance of success. Ten ways to overcome fear on your own If it has not yet come to a phobia, then you should not wait for it. No matter what scares you, you can help yourself if you know exactly how to overcome fear. Here is what you should do:

Take a timeout Do you feel that you can notto think clearly when fear starts to overfill you? The first thing to do is to take your mind off everything and try to relax to calm down and stop feeling palpitations, dizziness and other signs of a physiological reaction to fear. Do not think about what worried you. Make yourself a cup of tea, take a bath or go for a fifteen-minute walk. When you are physically calm and feel better, it will be easier for you to make a decision to cope with the situation.

What's the worst thing that could happen? When you are very concerned about something (for example, the results of negotiations at work or excitement about exams), try to imagine what will happen in the worst case scenario. Agree, the world certainly will not collapse! Sometimes the worst thing that can happen is the panic attack that is now taking over you. So try to calm down. Put your hands on your stomach, close your eyes and start making slow and deep breaths. It really helps to overcome the panic attack!

Train your stamina by deliberately exposingyourself fear If you always try to avoid situations that frighten you, then fear will only increase, and as a result you will "grow" a phobia. We have already written about the method of habituation to fear. Try to work on your fears on the same principle. If you are frightened, for example, contact with street dogs, try to communicate with the dog of one of your friends. First, just go to a house where you hold a dog, then stroke it while the owners keep the dog by the collar, and then try to talk to the dog one by one.

Laugh Laughter is able to completely destroy fear. If you feel that you begin to embrace excitement, try to think about something that can make you smile. Turn on the funny music, watch the comedy.

Do not aggravate the situation by far-fetched fearsFor example, a girl who was frightened by someone on a deserted evening street is very scared to go out again in the evening. It seems to her that she will be stuck to her again. But the probability of repetition of unpleasant events is negligible, so do not scare yourself especially. Fears, as a rule, are much worse than reality.

Do not demand from oneself of perfection It has long been noted,that perfectionists are much stronger than other people are subject to stress, and consequently, and panic attacks. If you think that DVDs that do not stand in the same direction, say that you are a failure, then you are only setting yourself up for anxiety. Life is already so full of stress, and there is no need to demand anything from it, so that it is ideal. Bad days and failures in business are absolutely all people, and do not panic because you have a black streak. After it, as you know, there are white stripes in life!

Visualize Take a moment to closeeyes and imagine a safe place where you can feel particularly calm. This could be a picture of the sea coast and a beautiful beach on which you sunbathed last summer and were happy that you could afford to come to the south; or minutes, when you sit down in the evening in your favorite chair, wrapped up in a blanket and picking up a purring cat, and watch a good movie. The positive emotions that you experience will calm you down until you feel relaxed.

Talk about your fears with someone you areespecially trust Exchange of emotions can significantly reduce the power of negative feelings. In addition, your interlocutor will likely be able to find compelling reasons to convince you of the causelessness of your fears. Or just support, comfort you. It is hardest to feel loneliness, when you are afraid of something, and the interlocutor will relieve you of this feeling.

Strive for a healthy lifestyle Good,full sleep, useful food and regular exercise have always been the best medicine to treat anxiety. The easiest way to fall asleep quickly, if thoughts began to circulate in a circle, is to try to stop thinking about day care. You will solve problems tomorrow, and today you need to rest. Many people turn to alcohol to get rid of anxiety, waiting to be relieved. But alcohol only aggravates the problem, making a person even more nervous. Yes, and the problem of alcoholism is added ... It is better to seek help from a doctor if you feel that you can not cope with your fears yourself.

Encourage yourself Take pleasure in yourself,allow yourself to do something that would be especially nice to you. Could you overcome yourself and take a spider in your hand? Make yourself a gift - buy a cake, go for a massage, go on an excursion ... Yes, there is little else that a clever woman like you can please yourself with!

Never blame yourself for being afraidsomething. Look around you – everyone is afraid of something from time to time. The most successful people have mastered the ability to call on courage and have learned to move forward without letting their fears and worries interfere with achieving their goals. Make a decision today to take control of at least one of your fears. Try to do exactly what you have always been afraid to do. When you courageously look your fear straight in the face, you will see that it will go away from you much faster than you could imagine. When you get rid of fear, you give way to your freedom and happiness, which will allow your dreams to become reality. And then a good life will simply become inevitable for you! We recommend reading:

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