Fear is inherent in every living creature, it is caused by the instinct of self-preservation. If a person is not afraid of heights, he can fall and break himself. If a person is not afraid of poisonous animals, he can die from a snake bite. However, along with the necessary fear that helps to survive, there are various phobias. Let's talk about them.
How to overcome the fear that prevents you from living? My classmate’s sister was afraid to answer at the blackboard at school, it was a real tragedy. At first the girl was given a bad grade, then the teachers accommodated her and stopped bullying the child. The fear was overcome with the help of a child psychologist. Now Irina is already studying at the university, writing scientific papers and speaking at conferences.
Causes of fear
The origin of a particular phobia lies in one of the following reasons:
Biological
Behind each of our emotions are neurotransmitters (or neurotransmitters) - hormones synthesized from amino acids that control key functions of the body.
They are divided into 2 categories: excitatory and inhibitory. The former increase the probability of transmitting an exciting signal in the nervous system, the latter reduce it. The second category includes gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter responsible for stress levels in the body. It regulates the flow of neutrotransmitters (adrenaline and norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine), improves concentration, and serves as a kind of “filter” that cuts off extraneous noise in the form of secondary problems.
GABA deficiency leads to depression and anxiety
With a lack of GABA, the nervous system receives excessive stimulation, as a result of which a person becomes nervous, more sensitive to pain, forgets about sound sleep, and loses control over emotions. There is a tendency towards addiction, primarily alcoholism. The result is permanent depression, anxiety, and fear.
Genetic
Some phobias are transmitted genetically, as scientists from Emory University Medical Center proved in 2013. They found that laboratory mice that are afraid of a specific smell (they were “taught” to fear the smell of bird cherry) pass this fear on to their offspring through DNA.
The fear of open space has remained with us since ancient times.
The roots of the fears we inherited from our ancestors can be traced very clearly. For example, agoraphobia (fear of being in open space) - ancient man knew that in open areas a predator would have an advantage. This category of seemingly unfounded fears also includes common star phobias: trypophobia (fear of cluster holes - many poisonous plants have them) or nyctophobia (fear of the dark - what if there is an ill-wisher lurking in the unknown?).
If this picture makes you afraid, you are a trypophobe.
Social
The source of fear may lie in the subconscious, which stores memories of traumatic episodes from the past. We are afraid of how others will react to our actions. If a child who forgot a poem at a children's party was ridiculed by his peers, there is a high probability that in the future he will be seized with panic when going on stage.
Many of our fears begin in childhood.
This category of fears includes telephonophobia (fear of talking on the phone), glossophobia (fear of public speaking), as well as many phobias in which a person is afraid to carry out any action in the presence of strangers.
Often, the real cause of fear, if a person cannot control it, is replaced by another, which can easily be avoided. A real case from the practice of a psychologist. A 25-year-old young man came to see him with a panicky fear of heights - he couldn’t even screw in a light bulb at home because he was afraid to stand on a stool. After the first conversation, the psychologist found out that the patient was also terribly worried about public disapproval. In this case, the fear of “falling in the eyes of others” was a true stress factor, disguised by the fear of “falling from a height.”
According to many psychologists, the occurrence of a phobia is always preceded by a panic attack, which “fixes” the fear of the object or phenomenon that provoked the attack.
Types of fear
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Fear is one of the strongest human emotions that cannot be controlled. A person can be afraid of well-known things and states (death, pain, darkness, the unknown), as well as fantastic irrational things. It depends on the characteristics of his psyche.
At the moment, science knows about 400 types of fears (phobias), most of which fall into the category of far-fetched. Unfortunately, scientists have not been able to understand the nature of phobias, although the best minds of humanity have worked to resolve this issue.
Fears are classified based on their causes, social significance, age-related changes, and sexual preferences.
People may be afraid:
- natural phenomena;
- animals, insects;
- a certain color;
- superstitions and signs;
- any places or buildings;
- death and suffering.
This is not a complete list of possible phobias that can haunt a person every day. Sometimes far-fetched or exaggerated phobias can lead to mental illness, so you need to get rid of them immediately.
If fear is not overcome, it will cripple a person’s life.
Can fears disappear on their own? This is quite possible: most people did not notice how they got rid of childhood fears. Which adult is afraid of a babaika or a night wolf that will bite you on the side? A person does not even notice how various fears disappear in his life.
However, a holy place is never empty, and some fears are replaced by others:
- As children, many were afraid of the dark, arthropods, stinging insects, and shadows. For some people, social phobia smoothly passes from the world of childhood into adulthood.
- In adolescence, fear of death, first sexual experience, feelings of shame in front of peers, school and exams appear.
- In adulthood, fear of loneliness and fear for children appear. Concerns about children are associated with hypertrophied responsibility for their health and well-being.
Many women suffer from the fear of wrinkles, many men secretly suffer from the fear of loss of potency. A person will always find something to suffer and be afraid of.
What is a panic attack
Every fifth person obsessed with any phobia suffers from panic attacks - spontaneous attacks of uncontrollable, “animal” fear, which is accompanied by suffocation, weakness, confusion of thoughts, and loss of a sense of reality. On average, this condition lasts 15-30 minutes.
Every fifth person has experienced a panic attack
A stressful situation (or unobvious somatic disorders) provokes an increased release of adrenaline, an exciting neurotransmitter. The blood vessels narrow and blood pressure rises.
Breathing increases, carbon dioxide is removed from the body. Insufficient levels of CO2 in the blood lead to a decrease in the amount of oxygen reaching the tissues. Hence the numbness of the limbs and dizziness.
Anxiety is growing. The body believes that it is in mortal danger and mobilizes the circulatory system to the central organs: the brain and heart. Due to lack of nutrition, lactic acid accumulates in the skin, fat and muscle tissues, increasing the symptoms of the attack.
Panic attack through the eyes of an artist
It is important to understand that panic fear can appear even if a person does not have phobias or other psychological disorders. The cause may be hormonal imbalances, changes in medications, or illness. According to statistics, about 5% of people regularly experience panic attacks, and about 20% have at least once experienced an uncontrollable attack of fear. At risk are men and women from 22 to 50 years old. There is no guarantee that this will not happen to you or your loved ones. Therefore, reading and remembering ways that will help stop an attack in time or help survive it will be useful for everyone.
How to quickly cope with a panic attack: 6 tips
What to do if a panic attack takes you by surprise? Having felt the first symptoms: tremors or general weakness, difficulty breathing, rapid heartbeat, increasing anxiety, the main thing is to switch your thoughts in a harmless direction in time. The editors of uznayvse.ru have collected several working techniques that will help you cope with fear.
Feel the pain
Acute pain can interrupt an attack of fear. A proven method is to wear an elastic band on your wrist (preferably a pharmacy one). When anxiety grows, pull it back and release it abruptly.
Wear a rubber band on your arm
Relax
- Sit with your feet wide apart, never cross your legs. Get rid of clothing that restricts your movement: take off your jacket, unbutton your shirt, loosen your belt.
- Tighten all the muscles of your body and fix them in this state for 5 seconds, then relax. Repeat 10-12 times.
- To relax the facial muscles, which is also important, stretch your lips in the shape of the letter “O”, while your eyes should be wide open. Hold this position for 10 seconds, then relax and smile broadly. Repeat 6-8 times.
If possible, take a comfortable position
Breathe correctly
Breathing exercises stabilize the production of adrenaline much more effectively than the common “breathe into a bag” method, which is more of a psychological “placebo” than a really effective technique.
- Try to take a comfortable position and relax your muscles. Sit down, relax your upper body, place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
- Take a deep breath and hold your breath for as long as possible. Firstly, it will distract you from anxious thoughts. Secondly, it will normalize the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs and relieve an attack of suffocation.
- Take a slow, deep breath through your nose so that the stomach area expands and the chest remains at rest. Exhale in the same way. This is called diaphragmatic breathing.
- You can try the “5-2-5” breathing technique: take a deep breath from the diaphragm (5 seconds), hold your breath (2 seconds), exhale slowly (5 seconds)
- An equally effective technique is “square breathing”: inhale (4 seconds) – hold (4 seconds) – exhale (4 seconds) – hold (4 seconds).
How to Breathe from the Diaphragm During Panic Attacks
Concentrate on sensations
Close your eyes and focus on one of the channels of perception: hearing, touch or smell. Listen to the quietest and most distant sounds, mentally refer to what your skin feels (clothing, surrounding surfaces), try to recognize the whole range of smells in the air. For the same purpose, you can carry chewing gum or lollipops with a bright fruity taste.
Concentrate on one of the channels of sensory perception
Count surrounding objects
Another method of shifting attention from depressing thoughts is mathematical actions. You can simply count passersby, the number of words or letters in an advertisement. If you see a sequence of numbers, try to make as many ordinal numbers from 1 out of them as possible, using a combination of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Take a contrast shower
If a panic attack occurs at home or away, get into the shower and alternate cold (but not ice) and hot water at intervals of 20-30 seconds. You need to water your entire body, including your head. This normalizes the functioning of the hormonal system.
Make an action plan in case of an attack
Make a panic attack plan and keep it handy. You can also write a reminder there that the sensations you experience will not harm your body and that all fears are only in your head
How to help someone with a panic attack?
Don't leave the person helpless
Eliminate the danger
First of all, make sure that the person is not in danger: that he will not fall to the ground or get hit by a car. If the attack occurs on public transport, if possible, take the victim into fresh air, to a deserted place. Give me some water.
Emotional support
In such a situation, the main thing is to let the person understand that he is not in danger, since when faced with this problem for the first time, many suspect they have serious illnesses, which worsens the attack.
In this state, support is most important
Under no circumstances should you panic yourself - you should instill calm with your entire appearance. Stand opposite the victim and take his hands. Say in a confident tone: “You are not in danger. I'll help you deal with this."
What not to say
Avoid cliched phrases. As a rule, they have the opposite effect.
- “I know how you feel right now.” Even if you have experienced this yourself, you should not compare your situation with others. Each person's fears are individual and you can only guess what is bothering him at the moment. It’s better to say: “The situation is difficult, it’s hard for you, but I’m here to help you.”
- "It will soon pass". During an attack, the patient has difficulty recognizing the passage of time. A minute can last an eternity for him, so it would be better to say, “I will be there as long as necessary.”
- “You can do it, you are strong.” At these moments, a person is overwhelmed by a feeling of helplessness and does not believe in himself. Show your support: “We will get through this together.”
Relaxation
Ask a friend to relax and breathe using one of the techniques mentioned above. Gently massage the person's neck, earlobes, shoulders, wrists, and the bases of their thumbs and little fingers.
Massage sensitive points of the body
Switching attention
Use all your ingenuity: offer to read a poem, ask to describe in detail the events of today, count passers-by, or compose several smaller words from a long word.
Medicines
We do not undertake to recommend medications to relieve attacks - only a doctor can do this. However, we can recommend herbal tinctures that will not act instantly, but will help stabilize the situation:
Herbal tinctures will help you calm down
- valerian (10 drops)
- motherwort (10 drops)
- evasive peony (10 drops)
- Eleutherococcus (20 drops)
Dilute in 250 ml of water (1/2 half-liter bottle) and drink.
Bottom line
All our fears, with the exception of the fear of falling and loud noises, are the product of our own mind. If the mind gave birth to them, then the mind can destroy them. To overcome fear, you need to acknowledge it and look it “in the face.” Even better is to try to depict it in an image with paints. As soon as this happens, fear will turn from an irrational category into a real one: now you can work with it and even make friends with it. If there is no desire to be friends, then he will simply leave your life. Tested more than once.
Preventing panic attacks
Remember - not a single instruction from the Internet can replace full-fledged therapy with a psychologist. If you feel that you are unable to eradicate fear on your own, do not hesitate to contact a specialist.
Keep a seizure diary
Keep a notebook where, using the principle of a questionnaire, you will enter information about the attacks that occurred for subsequent analysis:
- In what circumstances did the attack begin? What preceded it?
- What emotions did you experience, what thoughts depressed you?
- What were the symptoms of the attack?
- What unpleasant events happened earlier that day?
- What changes happened in your life shortly before?
Meditate
Turn on calm music, take a comfortable position, focus your gaze on the flame of a burning candle, or close your eyes. Breathe using the square method (see above), trying to relax your body as much as possible. Reinforce the state with attitudes such as “I control fear”, “Fear has no power over me.”
Practice meditation
Lead a healthy lifestyle
Quit bad habits. Spend a lot of time on the move: join a gym or walk more. Go to bed on time. Create a healthy diet. Consume more foods that help fight depression (avocados, bananas, apricots, brown rice), normalize the hormonal system (beef, turkey, buckwheat, oats), contain a lot of vitamin C that is useful in fighting stress (citruses, apples, bell peppers) and calcium washed out during panic attacks (cottage cheese, cheese, milk, fish).
Release negative emotions in a timely manner
Don't let stress accumulate in your body. Sometimes it can be useful to let off steam: lift the barbell in the gym, leave your anger on the treadmill, dig up the garden, buy an anti-stress toy, in a word, transform negative emotions into actions that are harmless to you and others.
Release stress on time
Saturate your life with positive emotions
Happy moments reduce stress levels in the body and normalize blood pressure. Devote more time to what you like, avoid unnecessary shocks, do not watch horror films and political talk shows.
They squirm and hiss...
Matt Damon played in the same movie - it was he who portrayed the character who bought the zoo to save its inhabitants. In the eyes of his children, this man instantly became a hero. By the way, the story is based on real events. Damon also has his own phobia - he was unable to overcome his fear of snakes, which wriggle and hiss so disgustingly. This is called ophidiophobia. He had to muster all his courage to take the snake in his hands. Before that, Johansson said, Matt was crying like a baby and rocking back and forth.
