What is fear? Basic emotional fear includes the individual’s biochemical and emotional response that alerts us to the existence of danger or the possibility of harm, whether this danger is physical or psychological. In this article, we talk about the types of fear, their symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. Stay with us.
How does fear work?
Sometimes fear is caused by real threats, and sometimes from imagined dangers. Although fear is a natural reaction to some situations, it may lead to distress and disorder. In addition, fear may be a symptom of some mental health disorders, including panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, phobia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Fear consists of 2 primary reactions to some types of threats, i.e., biochemical and emotional responses, each of which we have examined below.
1. Biochemical reaction
Fear is a natural emotion and survival mechanism. When we face a threat, the body reacts to that threat in specific ways. Physical reactions to fear include sweating, increased heart rate, and increased adrenaline that make us hyper-alert. This physical reaction is called the “fight or flight” response, which means the body prepares to defend itself or flee. A biochemical reaction is an evolutionary evolution, an automatic response that is crucial to our survival.
2. Emotional reaction
The emotional reaction to fear depends on the personality and mood of the person. The brain’s response to fear is similar to positive emotions such as happiness and excitement; that’s why people’s emotional response to fear differs. Some people constantly seek to increase their adrenaline by doing exciting sports or being in other exciting situations, such as watching scary movies. Others react negatively to the feeling of fear and avoid fearful problems at all costs. Although the physical reaction of people to fear is the same, the emotional stress response may be positive or negative, depending on the person’s personality.
Signs of fear
Fear usually has both physical and emotional symptoms. Although each person may experience different symptoms of anxiety, some common symptoms are:
- chills;
- Sweating;
- shortness of breath ;
- dry mouth ;
- nausea ;
- stomach discomfort;
- chest pain ;
- increase of heart rate.
In addition to physical symptoms, people may experience psychological symptoms such as discomfort, feeling powerless, or feeling close to death.
What is the root of fear?
Fear is incredibly complex and has no single root cause. Experiences or traumas may cause some fears, while the cause of some concern is unknown. Some common triggers of anxiety include:
- fictional events;
- unknown factors;
- future events;
- real environmental hazards;
- Particular objects or situations (such as spiders, snakes, heights, flying).
Types of fear
Some of the different types of anxiety disorders characterized by fear include:
- agoraphobia ;
- panic disorder;
- specific phobia;
- separation anxiety disorder;
- generalized anxiety disorder ;
- social anxiety disorder;
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Fear detection
If you are constantly and excessively afraid, see a doctor. Your doctor may examine you and prescribe tests to make sure your fear and anxiety are not related to a specific underlying disease.
They may also ask questions about your anxiety symptoms, including how long they last, how severe they are, and what situations you experience them in. Depending on the symptoms, your doctor may diagnose your fear as an anxiety disorder, such as a phobia.
Phobias
One aspect of anxiety disorders is the fear of being afraid. While most people are only afraid of fearful situations, people with anxiety disorders are so scared of being afraid. These people view the reaction to fear as unfavorable and do their best to avoid it.
A phobia is a fear of a situation that has no real danger. Although the person with a phobia recognizes that their anxiety is irrational, they cannot prevent the fear reaction.
Cure fear
Repeated exposure to fearful situations leads to familiarity, which can significantly reduce the fear response. This approach forms the basis of some phobia treatments. Phobia treatments based on the psychology of fear focus on techniques such as systematic desensitization and immersion. Both methods are based on the physiological and psychological reactions of the body to reduce anxiety.
1. Systematic desensitization
This technique involves gradual guidance in some exposure situations. For example, for a person who is afraid of snakes, systematic desensitization consists of the therapist talking to the person about snakes in the first therapy session. In subsequent sessions, the therapist gently leads the person to look at pictures of snakes, play with toy snakes, and finally touch a live snake. This process involves learning and applying new coping techniques to manage the fear response.
2. drowning
In the immersion technique, a person is exposed to a fearful situation in a safe and controlled environment to reduce his fear. This technique makes a person deal with severe anxiety, and his fear of that situation is significantly reduced.
Dealing with fear
To curb the physical, emotional, and behavioral effects of fear, you can use such effective yet straightforward measures:
- Get social support. Having supportive people in your life makes it easier to control your fear.
- Practice mindfulness. Although you can’t always stop some emotions, being aware can help you better control fear and replace negative thoughts with helpful and positive ones.
- Use stress management techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation exercises, and guided visualization.
- Take care of your health. Eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep every night.
final word
Fear is an important emotion that can protect you from danger, but it can also lead to prolonged feelings of anxiety. Finding ways to control your fear will help you cope better with these feelings and reduce stress.
Do you get anxious when you are afraid? What do you think is the cause of unnecessary fears, and what strategies do you use to control the symptoms of anxiety? Please share your valuable comments and experiences with us and our dear users.
Warning! This article is only for educational purposes, and to use it, it is necessary to consult a doctor or specialist.
