FEARS, WORRIES, AND PHOBIAS

 FROM SAMPATH’S DESK:

 

 

 

FEARS, WORRIES, AND PHOBIAS

  

Fear is a spirit dampener if not a destroyer. Phobia is an anxiety aberration and many have it in different forms and degrees.

 

On a lighter plank - children in the house have an inherent fear for parents in general, and father in particular. In the absence of the father at home, they would do all naughty things including indulging in mischief and playing indoors littering here and there, and even in-fighting among themselves. Once they sense the arrival of the father, they calm down, take some book(s) in their hands, and quietly sit to make it appear as though they are reading and studying all the time, even in their father's absence.  Of course, the father knows very well that it is all a drama, as, after all, he had once passed through his boyhood days.

 

Fear is a basic pessimistic human instinct and/or emotion, either suppressed within the mind or reacted with some counter feelings or responses when one is confronted with a negative or threatening situation, when one feels entrapped in an adverse condition, or feels unsure and insecure, or it is imminent and around the corner.

 

Young kids often have fears of darkness, being alone, strangers, monsters, natural events like heavy downpours, cyclone, thunders, lightning, or scary imaginary creatures or ugly visuals.

 

How people contract fears and/or phobias may be of interest to note. From our childhood, our parents or elders tell us not to venture into certain areas or indulge in activities considered as bad omens instilling fear in us, a simple example being darkness or keeping oneself alone. Some fear for unsafe and vulnerable conditions they are already in, or likely to be enmeshed or trapped into. One’s foreseeing capacity also plays a role here. Peers, friends, and socio-economic conditions also contribute. 

 

The greatest problem to overcome is obviously fear! Fear and worry are two sides of the same negative coin. They are complementary and contributory to each other, kindling and triggering one another; in other words, one is the extension of the other.

 

DNA and genealogical factors are said to be mostly responsible for the mindset of a person towards fear and/or worry. But, of course, the environment and circumstances one grows up in or are brought up also do greatly influence and impact one’s psyche.

 

A little worry or fear is not a bad thing. They will help one as an impetus and catalyst to do things better with abundant caution, and realize accomplishments. They give indirect competence and strength to overcome challenges if one’s energies and strengths are properly channeled. 

 

One should not allow himself/herself to be held captive by his/her own fear(s). Moving in an optimistic and affirmative direction would free him/her from a hopeless situation and get positive results.

 

Never fear the fears and tears. They soften our hearts, wash our eyes, and clear our vision.

 

Don't  brood over the dismal past; for it brings tears - and don’t think too much about the future either; for it brings fears. Enjoy the present moments, which bring cheers. Forget the past, live in the present, and aptly plan for tomorrow to keep the fears and worries at bay.

 

Fear is a cage where you may get locked up if you don’t act in time and prudently. Don’t allow this to happen. Faith is the key to rescuing yourself.

Fear not the worry and worry not the fear, as nothing is going to be permanent and they would pass off sooner or later.

Needless to say, there are well-founded and ill-founded worries and fears. Discern and distinguish one from another and proceed accordingly.

 

It’s okay to be afraid of some obvious negative factors you're already grappling with or likely to encounter sooner or later. Don’t let any fear take control or overtake you. It is better to be more loyal to your dreams than your fears. Maybe, one gets scared sometimes. Courage is the ability to face your fears. To flee from fear is nothing but escapism leading you nowhere. In other words, fear is an instant and instinctive reaction, and courage is the appropriate response to weed it out.

 

To have FEAR HERE and THERE may be FAIR but it should not become TERROR, HORROR, or TORTURE to TEAR you off; for the SPEAR of FEAR would INTERFERE with your FLAIR and FERVOUR, and TIRE, WITHER, SCARE, and Wear you out, and finally IMPAIR the VIGOUR and FIRE in you, reducing your ARDOUR to succeed and achieve, and putting you in DESPAIR. Guts and gumption will help ENDEAR yourself to your duty and responsibility and surge ahead and reach the goalpost FASTER and SCORE YOUR points.

 

Les Brown said, “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.”

 

To recall the golden quote of Dale Carnegie “Fear is the result of a lack of confidence. A lack of confidence is the result of not knowing what you can do. A lack of knowing what you can do is caused by a lack of experience. A lack of experience is caused by a lack of doing something new.”

 

There are phobias among people, which are anxiety aberrations, as detailed below:

 

ACROPHOBIA – Fear of heights

OPHIDIOPHOBIA – Fear of snakes

AQUAPHOBIA – Fear of water

MYCTOPHOBIA – Fear of darkness

HEMOPHOBIA – Fear of blood

PYROPHOBIG – Fear of fire

ENOCHLOPHOBIA – Fear of crowds

HERPETOPHOBIA – Fear of lizards (reptiles)

CYNOPHOBIA – Fear of dogs

OMBROPHOBIA – Fear of rains

TRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA – Fear of number 13

 

The age-old fears are perhaps of darkness called MYCTOPHOBIA and of snakes called OPHIDIOPHOBIA.

 

Phobias don’t follow any set or uniform pattern(s) while gripping individuals. It depends on individual factors like the victim’s outlook and viewpoints vis-à-vis their personal experience(s) or what they have heard of making them dread.

 

An individual’s superstitions (some DOs and DON’Ts) also jump onto this negative bandwagon and play their role.

 

R.SAMPATH

30/11/2024