"The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another"
Are you afraid of speaking in public? Are you afraid of closed spaces? Are you afraid of the dark? Are you persistently afraid of doing something?
Fear is something that all of us experience in response to a stimulus. For example; seeing a snake, being scared of a superior in office, fear of heights. It is a natural human emotion. But when the fear does not have a specific purpose and is chronic, lasting for months or years, it needs to be addressed. Psychologists often make a distinction between fears and phobias. A fear is an emotional response to a real or perceived threat. A phobia is similar to a fear with one key difference: the anxiety they experience is so strong that it interferes with their quality of life and/or their ability to function. Phobias typically result in a rapid onset of fear and are present for more than six months.
Signs you may have a phobia include being excessively fearful of a situation or object on an ongoing basis for six months or more, feeling an intense need to avoid or escape from the feared situation or object, experiencing panic or distress when exposed to the situation or object. Childhood phobias occur most commonly between the ages of 5 and 9 and tend to last a short while. Most longer lasting phobias begin later in life, especially with people in their 20s. Adult phobias tend to last for many years, and they are less likely to go away on their own, unless they are treated.
All counselling treatments for phobias are essentially a gradual and controlled way of decreasing anxiety and helping people develop new patterns of thinking and behaviour that promote well-being and life fulfilment. Talking with a professional counsellor can help you manage your specific phobia. Exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy are the most effective treatments. Our mental health counsellors have been able to significantly reduce the amount of phobia a person experiences and help them lead a normal and happy life. Get rid of your fear and discover the happier, more confident you.
