Anxiety disorder is fear on tap and as a result you are vulnerable to the development of phobias. Take me for example, I have had anxiety disorder for over 9 years and during that time I have developed a fear of flying, fear of the dark, and walking on streets that have a lot of cars passing through them.
Being scared of everything is not unique to you and I either. According to couriermail.com.au a British hypnotherapists named Joseph Clough has conducted a survey of more than 1000 people which showed that 1 in 5 of those folks has some form of phobia. Among the phobias to top the list is the fear of heights and the fear of spiders. The article also describes the phobias that some celebrities have.
It turns out that Billy Bob Thornton is afraid of French and English antique furniture, talk about specific. Also on the list was David Beckham and his ataxophobia (fear of disorder), Donny Osmond’s social anxiety, Johnny Depp’s fear of clowns, Kim Basinger’s agoraphobia and Nicole Kidman’s fear of butterflies. The list is longer but I think you get the point.
There are tons of people all over the world that have some form of phobia. The number of phobias that exist is mind boggling and even includes things like cacophobia or the fear of ugliness. The bottom line is that when you have an anxiety disorder it is extremely easy to develop and even create phobias. Recently I began to develop a fear of eating out, until I stopped that phobia from ever becoming a reality. It was all related to the recent headline stories involving tainted tomatoes in the food supply. But I said to myself not eating out would not only be lame but totally unnecessary. After all the reality is that the U.S. food supply is among the safest in the world. You have to be quick to stop fearful thoughts from gaining momentum. Failure to do this could lead to you fearing your favorite food, place or person.
The tricky thing is that phobias are a form of anxiety disorder – go figure. So if you have an anxiety disorder and develop phobias it’s like having a duplicate form of your condition. So be careful and don’t replicate your fears and instead focus on neutralizing them before they take hold. How? You can get treatment for phobias that include talk therapy and repeated (gradual) exposure to the source of your fear to help you conquer your fear. You can also accept your anxiety 100% and in so doing accept your phobia as well.
Acceptance is not easy but it is by far the most effective, affordable and non-punishing form of treatment. Take my fear of flying for instance, although terrified I have flown on several occasions. I sit, accept and remain as calm as I can be. Really at 30,000 feet what other options do you have? But in all seriousness having a phobia is normal, but it is also something you don’t have to live with forever. I suggest that you challenge your fears and unmasked them for what they really are, which is your fear of fear.
You are afraid of your anxiety and therefore you allow it to control you. Trust me I know having an anxiety disorder is real and scary. But I also know that even with an anxiety disorder you still can get out there and do things you think you can’t do. Take baby steps if you need to at first, but don’t be afraid to confront your fears. It is one of the most liberating things you can ever do. You should see me when I get off an airplane, if you could see the look on my face you would assume that I just won the lottery. I smile big when I get off a plane because it makes me feel good inside to challenge my fears and it will feel the same for you.
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