Fear. It is a natural feeling that most of us have. It can help us stay away from danger and survive for longer. But when there’s seemingly no reason behind your fear of certain situations, objects, places, or creatures, then it would be called a phobia. They don’t make any sense for the most part, but there are still instances that they occur. Here are some ways to address these fears:
Seek Help – Sometimes, facing your fears can feel overwhelming, and you may not know where or how to start doing it. Thankfully, some centers offer Cognitive Behavior Therapy or CBT in Westport or other areas, and they can help you overcome your phobia a little at a time and at an affordable rate. However, you should keep in mind that the initial push should come from you. The availability of therapy will be of no use if you don’t want to get over your fears in the first place.
Expose Yourself Bit by Bit – When you’re working to overcome your phobia, the phrase “face your fears” can be taken somewhat literally. Intentionally exposing yourself to the source helps you get used to being near it, and also helps you conquer your negative feelings. Plan out how you’re going to go at it little by little since the goal is to get used to it. Avoid the mistake of trying to take it on in large doses, as it can backfire on you and get you back to square one. It’s best to make slow but consistent progress.
Counter Irrational Thoughts – Knowing that phobias make you do actions that don’t make sense is a good step to take in facing them. You should also remember that these actions are dictated by your thoughts, whether they are conscious ones. What you can do is to become aware of what you’re doing and thinking, and catch yourself whenever you’re entertaining anything negative related to your phobias. After that, you can counter it with solid pieces of evidence that prove otherwise. For example, you may find yourself avoiding planes because you might crash. In this case, a good counter would be that countless people go in and come out of airplanes every day and that they don’t get into any accidents.
Find Ways to Calm Yourself – Often, phobias come with feelings of panic and great anxiety. Part of taking it down would be to know how to calm down when these emotions arise. There are a good number of small exercises and actions that you can do. You can look them up and try them out. You can also try to engage certain senses to take your focus away from your phobia. Each person has a different method that works for them, so have fun in finding out yours.
Phobias may seem too great for you to face at first, but as you whittle them down to their core, you’ll find that they’re not as big as you first thought. You can overcome them and do the things that you want to do in life. Fear doesn’t have to take over you.
