There are many different fears and phobias and for many people these are a big problem. About 20% of the people are confronted with
strong fears and anxiety in a period of their lives - that is 1 in 5 people! Fear and anxiety undermine one´s confidence and greatly reduce
the quality of life. Fortunately, once the step is taken to seek help, the problem can be very well tackled.
Social anxiety can make someone feel so uncomfortable among people that human contact and social gatherings get shunned as much as
possible. Fear of failure may cause someone to function below his or her abilities, and prevent them to attempt new things and face
challenges. Fear of flying or driving may cause a person not to travel anymore. Fear of commitment may cause someone to
break up good relationships. Fear of the unknown may cause someone to flunk any change and to avoid unfamiliar people,
situations or places. Fear of people busy streets and shops can make a person prefer to stay home and alone.
Fears & phobias come in many shapes and sizes and can start to control your life to a great extend and limit you in many ways. Anyone who
has been confronted with strong fear and anxiety knows how intense this experience can be. Whether it is in a working environment or during
a social call, whether it overwhelms you when you're in a meeting or when you're talking with someone, whether you're confronted with it
while driving a car or sitting in a cinema, fear can cause very strong physical and emotional reactions, with which many people don't know
how to deal with.
Because fear and anxiety hinder you in your performance, work situations and career prospects often suffer and relationships
and friendships are usually under pressure as well. You can try to suppress your fear and try to adapt your life in such manner to avoid
the difficult situations, but that deprives you of much of your freedom of movement, limits your options and often significantly reduces
your zest for life and your happiness.
It often has a major impact on your life when you start to avoid the people or situations that are difficult for you. This undermines your
confidence even more, while you usually succeed only partially or temporarily in your attempts to avoid your fears and anxiety. Meanwhile
you remain scared for the next situation and that makes life very difficult. It is therefore necessary to identify and address the causes of
your fears and anxiety, in order for you to learn to find a better balance and strengthen your confidence.
Often it isn't the least of fears that people encounter: The fear of rejection or disapproval, fear to be ridiculous or to be an outcast,
fear to make mistakes or blunders, fear for failure or criticism, fear to lose home, partner or job, fear to get a heart attack or an
accident, fear to become sick or unwell, fear to get stuck or have no way out, fear to panic or lose control, fear to go crazy or to die
etc.
The word phobia applies when someone has an unreasonable big fear of something or someone. Examples of phobias are the fear for shops,
cinemas and cafes, meetings, introduction rounds and presentations, parties, anniversaries and dinners, fears of cars, planes and trains,
fear of highways, tunnels, traffic jams and bridges, open spaces, heights and elevators, the fear for spiders, dogs, cats, bacteria and
viruses, the fear of strange people, unfamiliar places, new things and unexpected situations, etc. etc.
