EBN- A phobia is an ongoing, excessive fear of something specific. This leads to a person either avoiding what they fear, or they experience it but are distressed.
Specific phobia is a type of anxiety disorder with an intense, ongoing fear of something such as snakes, heights, enclosed places, or other objects or situations.
Roughly 12.5% of adults in the United States have a specific phobia at some point.
Here are six tips to work through your fear and live your life:
1- Allow yourself to sit with your fear for 2-3 minutes at a time. Breathe with it and say, “It’s okay. It feels lousy but emotions are like the ocean—the waves ebb and flow.” Have something nurturing planned immediately after your 2-3 minute sitting period is completed: Call the good friend waiting to hear from you; immerse yourself in an activity you know is enjoyable and engrossing.
2- Write down the things you are grateful for. Look at the list when you feel you’re in a bad place. Add to the list.
3- Remind yourself that your anxiety is a storehouse of wisdom. Write a letter, “Dear Anxiety, I am no longer intimidated by you. What can you teach me?”
4- Exercise. Exercise can refocus you (your mind can only focus on one thing at a time). Whether you go on a short walk, head to a boxing gym for an all-out sweat session, or turn on a 15-minute yoga video at home. Then, you exercise is good for you and it will ground you and help you feel more capable.
5- Use humor to deflate your worst fears. For instance, what are some ridiculous worst-case scenarios that might happen if you accept an invitation to deliver a speech to a crowd of 500 people? I might pee in my pants at the podium *** I will be arrested for giving the worst speech in history *** My first boyfriend (girlfriend) will be in the audience and heckle me.
6- Appreciate your courage. Doreen would tell herself during difficult times, “Every time I don’t allow fear to keep me from doing something that scares me, I am making myself stronger and less likely to let the next fear attack stop me.”
