Irrational Fears

-

Everyone is afraid of something. The question is whether the fears we have are rational or irrational.  If you look at the many different definitions of phobia, you’ll find what differentiates a fear and a phobia is the rationality, intensity, and symptoms of the fear. Phobias are intense fears that are manly irrational or exaggerated and result in symptoms related to anxiety. Although phobias are considerably worse than fears, they are just as common.

So, why did I decide to talk about phobias? Just as many other people in this world, I have a phobia. Therefore, I was interested in learning more about them. HelpGuide.org provided a great article for me to do so, and you can find it here. 
Luckily, when you have an irrational fear, you are aware it is irrational. My irrational fear or phobia is of walking or driving up or down steep hills. This is because I fear losing my stability and falling down the hill uncontrollably. I have even had nightmares about this! My phobia manly affects me when I confront my fear although thinking about it makes me nauseous too. It has been a long time since I have walked up a hill steep enough to trigger my phobia, but I have driven up and down many hills in Columbus, Ohio which do so. As I see the hill approach, my heart instantly begins to race, and my breathing picks up. I have learned to grab my seatbelt for a slightly better feeling of security and close my eyes or look out the window to distract myself. 
When I tell people of this phobia, they normally say, “so, you are not a fan of roller coasters.” Oddly enough, this is not true. I absolutely love roller coasters! I believe having the industrial restraints make me feel safe and secure. Plus, when a roller coaster takes a steep fall, I know it is on purpose and controlled. 
How did I, or does anyone, get a phobia? HelpGuide.org says a phobia can be developed by almost anything. They normally develop in childhood, but they can also develop in later life. When I try to think of how my phobia could have developed, I can only think of one possible explanation. I was born in Kentucky which I remember to be a rather hilly state. Our house sat at the bottom of a steep hill. My friend and I used to ride our bikes down the driveway. I believe it was after one instance when I lost control, fell down the hill and crashed my bike my phobia developed. 
Luckily, I do not confront my phobia enough for it to be a big issue for me. Others in this world may have far different experiences. For those who severely struggle with their fears, there is help and treatment. I find it important to realize although one’s phobia may sound ridiculous, it is a sincere fear. Also, those with phobias are not crazy. They are common. 
Do you have a phobia? If so, what is it?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Preparing for the Interview

-
Image
Recently, I had my first big interview experience. I have interviewed for jobs before, but those required little thought or preparation.   This position, on the other hand, required much more time and effort. I ran for the graphic design intern position at Thirty-One Gifts in Columbus, Ohio. I originally found the position online and applied. To my surprise, they set up a phone interview with me. Of course, I was nervous for the phone interview, but I was not too nervous. For a phone interview, you can wear what you want and stare at the ground as much as you want without the interviewer knowing! I did research on the company to prepare. I guess my joyful voice and charming personality won over the recruiter because they invited me to their headquarters for an on-site interview. The moment I was told they wanted to interview, my mind started rolling. I truly love the Thirty-One brand, so I wanted to make sure I did the best I possibly could. Therefore, I had to do some work.
Read more

Customization is Key

-
The first step to enter into the world of social media is to create a profile. Overall, it seems simple. You enter your first name, last name, email address, username and then you are done. Sure, creating a profile is easy, but creating a professional and successful profile takes work. What I recently learned from Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick in their book “The Art of Social Media” is that there are many details that can easily be overlooked when creating a profile. A lot of these details contribute to customization. Before, I never realized the importance of the customization of your social media profiles. I thought that once your name was on the page, it was good. Kawasaki and Fitzpatrick basically stress how customizing your profile is key to making yourself appear unique and competent and I agree. If every person on Facebook had no information or pictures on their profile, what would be the point? Who would want to view their profile with nothing to engage in? It is important t
Read more

Memories from my 4-year-old self

-
When I tell my brother and sister I can vividly remember living with my dad as a child, they never believe me. They tell me it is not possible for someone to have memories from such a young age. I must admit I think it is odd I am able to remember so far back, but I also find it interesting. Before you read further, I must warn you. Some of these memories may be emotional or uncomfortable. I am not sure why I wish to share these memories. I guess they are a part of me, and I only wish for others to know they exist.  Our home: I can still remember the layout of our trailer in Kentucky. It was on a country road surrounded by a forest. It had a stone driveway and a shabby wooden porch. When you walked in the front door, you entered the main section of the trailer with the kitchen on the left and the living room on the right. Past the living room was the master bedroom in the back right-hand corner. Past the kitchen was my room in the back left-hand corner. In my room, I had a
Read more