Page 52 - HSMP student project

threat/danger to their safety. This is why if/when someone has a phobia(s), they’ll try their hardest to avoid the person, object, or situation that they consider harmful. Even just simply coming into contact, or the thought of coming into contact, with what causes their phobia can make them panic. Phobias can have a far-reaching effect which can result in many perplexities in different areas of our lives. Now because of this effect, you might be left wondering if what you are feeling is normal or just peculiar. Phobias also have the ability to influence our lives emotionally in several ways. Phobias even have the ability to cause drastic emotional and physical responses as well as terrible anxiety.​ Phobias can be isolating. Some phobias could possibly lead someone who is afraid of public spaces/crowds to avoid situations where they will end up feeling vulnerable or picked on, in other words, social situations. This can make you feel as though you are alone in these situations which could lead you to wonder why you can't be like everyone else or why everything you do seems embarrassing to others. This is because you may end up being embarrassed/humiliated by your friends’ reactions to your phobia ("You're scared of what?") and by the decisions you may make due to your phobia since you will try any and everything possible to try and avoid what you are afraid of. Phobias can also leave someone, maybe even you, feeling helpless. This feeling of helplessness could also lead to you feeling as though you have little to no control over your life and how you live it.
owever, people can overcome phobias by learning to gradually face their fears. There are many ways/strategies that someone can use to overcome their fears but how exactly would they begin this difficult process? Overcoming a phobia can prove to be quite difficult or quite easy depending on the bravery of the person so they could start to try and overcome their fears by making a list of the things that they fear in least-to-worst order. By doing this they are making it easier on themself to find out which fear they can overcome easily which is a great place to start when trying to overcome fears. This is also done so that the fear/phobia won’t become debilitating. The person can moderately try to do this process by first attempting to face each fear situation on the list beginning with the thing that they least fear on the list. While trying to do this process they might also need a therapist to teach and give the person relaxation and stress-reducing techniques such as breathing, muscle relaxation training, or soothing self-talk. This can help the person to calm down and feel comfortable in case they end up getting anxious or uncomfortable from confronting their fears. The more the person comes into contact with their fears the more their brain will begin to modify and no longer see the things that it once feared as a threat. If this does not work, then you should find and use ways such as the ones below to fabricate a sense of control or mastery over your life to deal with these fears by:
1. Working to identify meaning and purpose in your life.
2. Going for a walk or run in a park.
Wellness 101 - Spring 2020