What Makes You Afraid? [Poll]

Being afraid is a peculiar feeling. It can creep up slowly through a series of strange thoughts or feelings of doom that get worse over time, yet it can strike current into your bones in a matter of seconds.

Something you fear may very well be a source of discomfort for your whole life, or it can vanish in time. It’s a wonder of human emotion as well as mental and behavioral responses. What makes you afraid?

The Many Forms of Fear

When it comes down to it, there are endless possibilities of what a person may fear. There are even varying possibilities for the persistence of that fear. It could be mild or severe.

A more severe type of fear would be considered a phobia. A phobia is an extreme, irrational aversion to something. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the most common type of phobias are as follows:

• Animal-based fear: dogs, snakes, fish.
• Natural or environmentally related fear: storms, heights, lightening.
• Bodily, blood, or procedural type fear: needles, surgery, blood.
• Situational fear: tight spaces, elevators, social gatherings.

Addressing Fear

Fear in small or relative doses is is completely normal. Fear is a problem when it prevents something in our lives from running smoothly, such as chasing our goals. Strategy for overcoming fear might vary depending on the severity and type. But, these are some ways it can be addressed:

• Cognitive therapy: It may be possible to retrain the brain not to respond to certain stimuli in the same way that would typically make you feel afraid.
• Psychotherapy: Speaking with a mental health professional may help to address the trauma that has led to fear, as well as adjust your conditioning toward that fear.
• Meditation: Among holistic methods to address fear would be meditation. Use meditation to center and lessen the impact of prevalent fears.

A Note from GR8NESS

If you feel fear has taken over your life, know that it does not need to go on. Working through fear is not simple business, but it can be done with some application of effort, and perhaps the help of a caring mental health professional.