Fear is the most powerful and the most ancient humanemotion. He warns us of a possible danger, so fear played a decisive role in the survival of our ancestors. But today this emotion, which can not be called pleasant, is still there, although it does not play a special role in the preservation of mankind. And not only does it exist, but sometimes it worries a certain person. How to overcome fear, if it is already crossing the boundaries of the reasonable?

Psychology of fear

What is the nature of fear in general? 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 response is always individualized. Biochemical reaction When we face a potential threat, our body reacts in a certain way. The physical reaction includes sweating, palpitations and high levels of adrenaline in the blood. It was precisely this kind of reaction that our ancestors needed, because it prepared their organism either for rapid flight or for entering the fight against the enemy. Biochemical reaction of the body is an automatic response to a dangerous situation, and it was automaticity that was of great importance for survival. Emotional reaction The emotional response to fear, as we have said, is personalized. In some people, the adrenaline rush into the blood occurs during activities, for example, extreme sports, others fears a performance in front of a large audience, and someone can be scared to death by a small spider, which, along with a spider web, swept over the sleeve of clothing. Some people will do their best to avoid situations that cause fears in them, others, on the contrary, are fans of thrill and try to tickle their nerves as often as possible. And although the physical reaction to the dangerous situation will all be the same, but from an emotional point of view, some will perceive fear as negative, and others as a positive emotion. Everything depends on the person. Getting used to fear Repeated exposure to the same frightening situations leads to fear becoming dull. The human brain receives some "experience": this situation does not lead to danger. The biochemical reaction ceases to be so turbulent, and the person ceases to be frightened. Fans of adrenaline pushes them to the fact that they begin to look for ever new and more acute sensations. This same mechanism of habituation lies at the basis of the treatment of certain phobias. We will talk about this later.

Psychology of phobia

One aspect of anxiety disorder may bebe a tendency to develop fear again to experience fear. Where most people tend to fear only in a situation that comes suddenly and seems frightening to them, people with an anxious disorder fear that they will be scared beforehand. You can say, they know that they will be scared, even when the frightening situation has not yet come. And they will avoid it in every possible way. A phobia is a distortion of the normal reaction of fear. Here fear is directed at an object or situation that does not represent a real danger. The sufferer admits that his fear is completely unfounded, but can not overcome his reaction. Over time, the phobia tends to increase, if nothing is done. What are phobias? All the phobias listed, probably very difficult. This is exactly the case when you can talk about the personalization of fear - it all depends on the individual. There is a fear of death, fear of a kind 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 begin asshyness, which then becomes too strong and will be able to spoil your whole life. Agoraphobia is often associated with panic attacks, and people suffering from it, by all the truths and crooks, try to avoid places that can cause them panic. I must say that it is much easier to live with specific phobias, than with phobias more generalized. After all, avoiding contact, say, with spiders is much easier than contacting a large group of people. Symptoms that occur in phobias Symptoms can occur in a person who suffers a phobia when he is near an object that causes him panic, or even at the thought of this object. Common symptoms include:

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

In some cases, phobia symptoms maydevelop into a full-scale panic attack. To avoid such feelings, a person begins to strive for 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 changehis way of life, severely limiting himself. But you do not have to live with a phobia. All kinds of obsessive fears are amenable to treatment. Some phobias, for example, fear of snakes, usually do not affect everyday life. But some phobias make a person fundamentally change their way of life. They start to give up work because they are afraid to go in transport, or stop leaving the house to avoid meeting people. For such sufferers there are no other options how to overcome fear, except how to seek help from specialists. Treatment of phobias The main method of treating phobias is systematic desensitization, which causes addiction to fear (or to an object that causes fear). This method works with physiological and emotional reactions in order to reduce the feeling of fear. The client is gradually carried through a series of situations, somehow related to the object of his fear. For example, a client with fear of snakes first goes through the procedure for talking about snakes. In the following sessions he will look at pictures and photos with 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 the snake. It is very important that all these sessions are conducted only under the guidance of a specialist! This is a potentially traumatic method, but it gives an excellent chance of success. Ten ways to defeat fear yourself If the matter has not reached the phobia, then you should not expect it. Regardless of what scares you, you can help yourself if you know exactly how to overcome fear. Here's 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 afraid of something. Look around you - from time to time you are afraid of something. The most successful people have mastered the ability to summon courage to help and have learned to move forward without giving their fears and anxieties to hinder the attainment of goals. Right now, make the decision to take control of at least one of your fears. Try to do exactly what you have always been scared to do. When you bravely look at your fear right in the face, you will see that it will leave you much faster than you could imagine. When you get rid of fear, you will give way to your freedom and happiness that will allow your dreams to become reality. And then a good life for you will become inevitable! We advise you to read:

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