Mind and body health

Are You Letting Your Fear Get The Best Of You?

You might have encountered someone who has a fear of flying – or it could be you who personally have a fear of flying. Basically, these phobias are something that people would have to deal with at one point or another.

By definition, a phobia is that irrational fear of a certain object, situation, person or activity. When you have a phobia of something, you will feel this anxiety because the thing that you are most fearful of is way beyond your control.

Another aspect of phobias which make it alarming is the fact that it can interfere with your daily life, which is exactly the reason why you do need to find an ‘antidote’ for such an anxiety disorder.

There’s an estimated 18% of the American adult population which is suffering from some kind of phobia. Now, there are actually three types of phobias which an individual may possess. First, there’s the simple phobia like fear of spiders or heights.

Second, there’s the social phobias wherein you are fearful of being in a social situation that may cause you humiliation. Third, there’s the agoraphobia which is defined as the fear of being away from some place safe.

In addition, there are the bizarre phobias which involve a person being fearful of something that is perfectly normal for other human beings. Nobody really knows the reason behind the development of phobias but they can be triggered by a traumatic experience.

The physical manifestations of a person suffering from a particular type of phobia include panic disorders, breathlessness and anxiety attacks.

A Look At The Top 12 Most Unusual Phobias That People Have

But what if you fear is something that is perfectly natural for most people? Here, we will take a look at the top 12 most bizarre phobias that people have.

1. Phobia: Arachibutyrophobia

Definition: Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of one’s mouth.

Yes, you heard it right. Although this fear may be worthy of a slot in a Saturday Night Live skit or an episode of “The Simpsons“, it is indeed a fear that actually exists.

For some people, the prospect of eating a peanut butter jelly sandwich may prove to be a challenging task.

This is because of the fear that they have of the peanut butter sticking to the roof of their mouth. One can only wonder what they would do in such a situation.

2. Phobia: Ephebiphobia

Definition: Fear of youth or teenagers.

This is one bizarre fear which actually has a more complex background. According to sociologists, one’s fear of the youth or teenagers may be attributed to the generation gap.

This is especially true when it comes to the segregation of the young and adult group in the American society.

What a person with ephebiphobia is actually fearful of is being rejected by teenagers, which is why they usually cover their fear with a permissive attitude towards them.

3. Phobia: Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

Definition: Fear of long words.

The name of the phobia itself may battle the number of letters contained in the longest word – but it’s actually something that those who have a fear of long words would actually be wary of.

For one reason or another, there are individuals who have a fear of long words – the sight of which usually sends them into having a panic attack!

4. Phobia: Ithyphallophobia

Definition: Fear of erections.

Based from the part of the word that says ‘phallo‘, you may already have an idea that this particular phobia has something to do with the penis. And it’s exactly right.

Ithyphallophobia is defined as an unwarranted yet persistent fear of an erect penis. What’s surprising is that it is a type of phobia which is quite common.

Just as it is with any other type of phobia, being exposed to the thing which you fear most is the usual therapy for patients with this condition. The physical manifestation of thisquite bizarre phobia is the occurrence of panic attacks.

So if you’re in the middle of having sex and you find that the sight of an erect penis causes you to have an anxiety disorder, chances are you do have this condition.

5. Phobia: Koumpounophobia

Definition: Fear of buttons.

According to the National Phobic’s Society, one in every 75,000 people is affected by this really bizarre fear of buttons. This usually occurs during one’s childhood and may or may not persist into adulthood.

The physical manifestations of this fear include being afraid to actually touch a button, or experiencing panic attacks at seeing buttons grouped together.

6. Phobia: Nomophobia

Definition: Fear of being disconnected from the rest of the world if you don’t have contact through mobile phone.

This is probably one common fear that the modern worker has – although the nature of the phobia itself is quite bizarre. Nomophobia refers to the fear of being out of mobile phone contact.

If you’re the type of person who gets all panicky at the thought of being somewhere where there’s no mobile phone coverage – or if you obsessively check whether your phone still has a full charge of batteries for fear of being disconnected, then you might have nomophobia.

7. Phobia: Papaphobia

Definition: Fear of the Pope.

Why someone would have a fear of a person who the Catholic Church deems to Holy, nobody really knows.

Papaphobia is definitely one of the most bizarre types of fear on our list – which is defined as fear of the pope or the papacy.

The physical manifestations of the fear include shortness of breath, nausea, sweating and that unusual feeling of dread. Aside from the ‘main man’ of the Catholic Church, someone who has papaphobia may also be fearful of the Catholic Church itself.

8. Phobia: Peladophobia

Definition: Fear of bald people.

Don’t confuse this bizarre fear with the fear of going bald, which is actually called phalacrophobia. This particular phobia is feeling anxiety at the thought of, or actually seeing a bald person.

9. Phobia: Scopophobia

Definition: Fear of being looked at.

What if the condition that you instantly assumed to being an introvert is actually a fear of being looked at or scopophobia? Some people do have an intense, often irrational fear of being looked at.

As such, they try to avoid crowded places and they usually feel unsettled if they think that the person behind or beside them is staring.

10. Phobia: Triskaidekaphobia

Definition: Fear of the number 13.

Did you know that even Adolf Hitler was famed to have a fear of the number 13? This is probably associated with the myth behind Friday the 13th – although this particular phobia is called paraskavedekatriaphobia.

If you experience anxiety attacks upon seeing the number 13 printed or written somewhere, and you consciously avoid things which have something to do with the number 13, then this might be a fear that you have.

11. Phobia: Trichophobia

Definition: Fear of loose hairs.

If you’re suffering from hair loss and a person freaks out once they see some loose strands on your shirt or even on the floor where you’re standing, don’t be offended. That person may be suffering from what is known as trichophobia or fear of loose hairs.

12. Phobia: Vomitophobia

Definition: Fear of vomiting.

Usually associated with eating disorders, vomitophobia is defined as the fear of vomiting. The fear can also be attributed with fear of being others who are vomiting, or being afraid of vomiting themselves.

The physical manifestation of this type of fear is that a person will stop going to parties, will avoid socializing and will steer clear of situations where they may encounter a person who is vomiting, or be in a situation where they themselves will vomit.

Life can feel full of conflict that we find within ourselves, and in our relationships with others.

If you stop and realize what basic needs human beings require it will make it easier to understand why these issues arise.

All people have four areas that should be addressed, they are stability and a feeling of self worth, along with the need to feel in control and finally everyone wants to be valued by others.

Most problems are caused by insecurities because of the lack of one or more of the aforementioned factors. The key is to recognize that this not only in yourself but also with others. Other people’s behavior can often be better understood if you are aware of these different requirements.

Consistency is what grounds you and is the foundation of everything, which is why major life changes are known to generate high stress levels, moving house or divorce. It is easy to adapt to little differences only because there is the stable condition from our main situation.

To appreciate one’s own abilities is the key to self esteem; it comes from within so no one can give it to you. By being positive and focusing on your strengths rather than contemplating all the things you are unable to do, you will feel stronger as a person.

Insecurity breeds control, as you feel the need to know what will happen next, perceiving it as a way to judge how you should react. A feeling of security will help you let go of certain things, letting others do what they are best out leaving you to concentrate on your abilities.

There seems to be nearly endless tips out there that exist to boost creativity.

This is fantastic since there are always times when creativity simply will not come.

Since everyone is different and since different days bring different strains on creativity, the more creativity boosting techniques the better.

Listed below are 12 creativity techniques that have worked for me:

1. Brainstorming

This is a classic technique that works especially well in groups. Within a time frame, everyone gives ideas that might solve a problem. No matter what the idea, there must be no criticism. Just write the idea down and criticize it later.

Then choose 5 ideas that might be the most effective, most efficient and/or the cheapest. Then rank these ideas in order from most feasible to least feasible. The most feasible idea will be the one that you should try first.

2. Keep a notebook with you

Always write down ideas that come to you. You never know how useful this idea might be later.

3. Go for a walk

For some reason, walking always helps me think better. Whenever I reach a point where I can’t come up with a solution to a problem, I immediately start walking and the ideas begin flowing in.

4. Avoid distractions

Distractions, especially television, can really break up creative flow. The only sensory stimuli that might not inhibit creativity is music. But if you are listening to music and you cannot think, turn it off.

5. Read

Read as much as you can about as many things as possible. Most ideas are built on the foundation of the ideas of others.

6. Keep your mind stimulated

Do not let a day go by without stimulating your brain. The best way to stimulate your brain is to engage in a variety of challenging activities that force you to use your brain.

7. Surround yourself with nature

Recent studies have shown that plants actually improve creativity. Also, fresh air has long been shown to be good for the brain. If the weather is right, consider taking your laptop outside.

8. Use the most powerful word: “Why?”

Set aside some time. With any particular situation, keep asking the question why. Do not settle for “I don’t know.” Keep pondering until you come up with an answer or until you run out of time.

9. Develop an expert mentality

Do not simply settle for being proficient. Try to be an expert in a particular topic. And don’t just have an expert mentality, but actually become an expert. With a vast amount of knowledge, you will be able to come up with all sorts of solutions to a problem.

10 Take risks

Do not be afraid if your plans do not work out.

11. Stay out of the box

Know that different problems often have multiple solutions. Do not get stuck on one solution to a problem. Explore multiple angles.

12. Set aside time for creativity

Try to get the bulk of your work done early so that you can have time for creativity. Use this time to generate ideas. Remember, creativity often requires an incubation period.

Although very few people do it, setting life goals is very worthwhile providing incentives and bringing a sense of purpose to all parts of your daily routine.

Everybody needs a reason for what they are doing and not just earning a living to make money, the latter is not actually a goal.

If you take the time to work out a strategy, deciding what you want to do with your life and the different stages that will get you into that position will be very advantageous.

Set yourselves achievable goals, taking small but significant steps. If you are on a path to fulfilment then you will feel more content and it will also increase your self confidence.

Do not just keep your set goals in your head; put everything on paper, in quite a formal way. It will be much more satisfying and often it is only when you have actually seen things ticked off a list that you understand what you have actually achieved.

It may be worthwhile seeing a life coach, especially if you need guidance with determining what your goals could be. Many people need a bit of guidance to start them on the right path and once you have seen the opportunities it will soon become second nature to you.

Life will be much more empowering once you can see the possibilities rather than always feeling that you are playing to catch up with things that you feel you are obliged to do. Once you are on a path to happiness anything is possible.

Sometimes it just seems very hard to behave ourselves. We try to work hard. We try to quit our bad habits.

We try to curb our appetites. But sometimes it seems like we can’t always keep control of ourselves.

For this, many of us consider turning to the power of suggestion.

But not all of us know hypnotists who can use suggestion to get us to do what we really want to do. Luckily, many hypnotists are offering their services online.

The anatomy of hypnosis

Hypnosis is similar to the state we are in when we are captivated by something. In this state of suggestibility, we immediately believe anything that we are told.

This is because our minds immediately accept things that we hear as true before our brains have to deny the statement. This happens almost instantly in a fully conscious state. But in a trance, we are unable to deny the things that we hear.

It all comes down to your subconscious

Your subconscious mind works hand-in-hand with your conscious mind in order to direct your day-to-day activities. Your conscious mind includes your typical thoughts. But many of the things you do throughout the day are relatively automatic.

For instance, how many times have you driven to work while deep in thought without even realizing that you were driving?  This subconscious that drives you when you are not thinking can actually be manipulated through hypnosis.

Listen to hypnosis audios

There are a lot of tapes that play recordings of hypnotists. These tapes are meant to put you into a relaxed state and then deliver messages directly to your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind responds to these statements as if they are truth and directs your daily actions based on these suggestions.

For instance, if you decide that you do not want to smoke cigarettes anymore, a hypnosis tape will include messages that tell you that you are not going to smoke anymore.

Should I play these tapes while sleeping?

No. True, you might be able to remember what you hear while sleeping, even though what you remember will be negligible. But your subconscious will not be able to process these hypnosis messages in a productive way. Also, listening to the hypnosis tapes while sleeping might disrupt your ability to get a good night’s rest.

Hypnotherapy sessions

Not all online hypnosis programs hypnotize you directly. Several websites provide ecourses on how you can learn hypnosis in order to hypnotize yourself. That’s right. You can hypnotize yourself by speaking directly to yourself in a low and commanding voice.

The whole hypnosis is relatively complicated and requires a lot of focus, since you will be in a very relaxed state while giving yourself commands.

Your goal will be to get yourself in a state of suggestibility in which you tell yourself what you would like to change about yourself. Repeat to yourself “I will succeed, I will succeed, I will succeed.”