Changing jobs, moving to a new neighborhood, visiting
relatives or joining a civic club are all positive experiences - yet each can
bring about sweaty palms and that dry mouth feeling.
As much as you wanted that new home, there’s a surprising
stomach churning sensation as you sign the mortgage papers. That’s called
feeling anxious. In a matter of minutes or days, the anxious feeling passes.
The fact that it passes shows the difference between anxiousness and anxiety.
When anxious feelings seem to come out of nowhere and linger
for no logical reason, that’s a sign of an anxiety disorder. It’s more than
anticipation or nervous tension. Anxiety disorder is a broad term for a variety
of conditions that no amount of willpower or “just get over it” advice can
change.
When the anxiety is focused on a certain idea or situation,
it’s called a simple or specific phobia.
If you have this condition, then you know it doesn’t feel “simple” at
all. While someone else may shriek in temporary fright at an insect crawling
across the floor, if you have a phobia about bugs, you will feel intense fear
that a bug may be lurking around the corner - even if none are in sight.
Whether or not there’s a real threat from the feared object
or situation, you’re immobilized and overwhelmed with alarm. You may even know in your mind that the fear
isn't real - and you really want to overcome it.
One in ten adults has some kind of specific or simple
phobia. Common phobias are the fear of heights, bridges, flying, crowds,
animals or lightening. Childhood phobias often end by adolescence - but those
that start in teen or young adult years are much more persistent.
You may have just tried to avoid whatever you’re afraid of
rather than seek professional help. Two
types of therapy, behavioral and cognitive, work well with phobias. Behavioral
therapy ignores why the fear is there or how bad it feels and simply
gets you to change how you respond to the fear.
Having a new response trumps the old reaction. Instead of
standing at the elevator door hyperventilating, take the stairs and call it
additional aerobic exercise. Cognitive
therapy is about changing false beliefs and the way you talk to yourself.
