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Living with a phobia is certainly not easy. Never mind seeing or touching the feared object, imagining or just hearing the name of the feared object can make you anxious and terrified. Finally, the person who has the phobia will continue to avoid the feared object, without realizing that avoidance will only make the phobia more frightening and creepy in his mind.
Therefore, it would be better if the person who has the phobia looks for ways to overcome his fear of a certain object or situation; especially if the object being feared is an object or situation that will be encountered everyday, for example rice, fruit or vegetables, crowds, and so on. Then, is there a way that can be done to overcome phobias? Of course there is. Here are some tips that can be done to overcome phobias.
1. Deal with your phobia slowly
Avoiding things that are feared is normal. However, to overcome a phobia, you need to learn to deal with it. Exposure is one of the most effective ways to overcome your fears. During the exposure process, you will learn to get out of your anxiety and fear because of your phobias.
If you do it over and over again, it will make you realize that the fear that you have been thinking about will not happen. You will feel more confident and in control, until the phobia you have begins to lose its strength. The longer you expose yourself to the things you fear, the more familiar and calm you will become.
Suppose you have a phobia of flying by plane. To deal with it, try to choose the flight with the shortest travel time from your city. Ask your family or friends to come with you. Also choose the airline you trust the most. Only then can you slowly try a flight with a longer travel time, for example, two hours.
Tips for dealing with phobias are as follows:
- Make a list of scary objects or situations related to your phobia.
- Start with an exposure you can handle (from the list you have created). For example, if you have a phobia with durian, you can start by controlling yourself when you hear the durian being mentioned. If you feel better when you hear it, you can train yourself to see the durian picture, then see the durian directly, hold it, smell it, and so on. This gradual exposure will help you control the fear that comes with durian phobia.
2. Learn relaxation techniques
Learning to overcome phobias is not easy. A simple exposure such as a photograph of an object you are afraid of can sometimes make your heart flutter, your breath can rush. If you start to feel overwhelmed with your phobia, step back immediately and use relaxation techniques to calm yourself down. Because learning to calm yourself down can help you become more confident in your ability to manage uncomfortable sensations and deal with your fears.
Relaxation tips that you can do:
- Sit or stand comfortably with your back straight. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
- Inhale slowly through your nose, count to four. Hands on your stomach should go up. The hands on your chest should move very slightly.
- Hold your breath for a count of seven.
- Exhale through your mouth on a count of eight, pushing as much air out as you can while exhaling. The hand on your stomach should move as you exhale, but your other hand should move very slightly.
- Inhale again, repeat this cycle until you feel relaxed and focused.
Practice this deep breathing technique for five minutes twice a day. Once you feel comfortable with this technique, you can start using it when dealing with your phobia.
3. Challenge your negative thoughts
When you have a phobia, you tend to overestimate how bad it would be if you faced a situation that you feared. At the same time, you underestimate your ability to overcome the phobia. Therefore, the way to overcome it is to challenge your negative thoughts.
Has the thing you feared ever really happened? Will a certain situation or object hurt you? And so on with other questions related to your negative thoughts.
If the answer is "no" or "not necessarily", then you need to change your mind with, "I'll be fine," or some other positive thought. This will help reduce your fear and anxiety when overcoming the phobia.
