Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer
3K
3K
740
3K
Menu
Menu
static-img
Situational Phobias

Fear of Change – Metathesiophobia

Share This Article
Share Post

You can Change Your Fear of Change

Change happens every second, minute , hour and day. Change is inevitable, but image being terrified of change to the point of physical and psychological ailments? Some people suffer from extreme fear of change. There is hope through education and if needed professional therapy, let’s discus.

People talk about “hope and change” and “change is good.” And of course, musicians love singing about change, from Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’” to Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” to David Bowie’s “Changes.”

But what if change terrifies you? What if changing times, a change to come, or the very thought of change sends you into a panic? We all fear change at some points in our lives, but what if any change seems like a terrifying attack from which you must shield yourself and shut yourself away at all costs?

Chances are you have some form of a fear of change.

Still, that’s pretty broad, so what is the fear of change called, how we can understand it, and what steps can you take to overcome it?

Metathesiophobia 101

The fear of change is known as metathesiophobia. That being said, while it’s always helpful to be able to give a label to one’s fears, in this case that doesn’t necessarily bring us much closer to being able to take tangible action against it.

That’s because, like many broad popularly labeled phobias listed on the Internet, metathesiophobia is not recognized as a distinct psychological condition by the DSM-5. Instead, it falls under the purview of a general anxiety disorder. General anxiety is an umbrella term under which all of these individual, more specific diagnoses fall.

In essence, if you have general anxiety, you’re likely to have many of the symptoms listed below, just focused on something other than change specifically.

 

The cause of this condition is likewise elusive. There are any number of potential triggers for general anxiety, and just as many if not more for being anxious about change, some of which may be beyond your control. For example, if you have a mental illness or learning disability such as a form of autism, you may “feel” change very acutely and thus fear it for reasons which are both genetic and yet beyond the comprehension of others who don’t have that condition.

In addition, human beings are naturally resistant to change to some extent. Our brain, shaped by tens of thousands of years of evolution, interprets a predictable, “stable” condition as safer than an unpredictable, “change-based” one. If you’re a hunter-gatherer and you know that one part of the plains is free from potential predators, you may feel compelled to stay there instead of changing locations and risking getting eaten.

Of course, that’s the dilemma with fearing change—if you never embrace it, almost nothing ever changes, and change can be a good thing. That’s why we no longer hunt with stone tools, but rather, we sit in air-conditioned rooms with iPhones in our palms.

On the other hand, you may have had a particular incident in your life where something related to “change” went wrong, and now you’ve taken that to the extreme. Again, such a fear is so broad as to be almost impossible to nail down on its own.

This is also why fear of change statistics are so hard to come by. Not only is being phobic about “change” extremely hard to define, but the lack of definition makes it hard to quantify and thus measure in a controlled scientific, statistical study.

In the end, fearing change defies statistical analysis and is instead highly personal.

That’s why it is so important to speak to a therapist in a one-on-one session to give shape to what may otherwise be a vague, shapeless, terrifying fear of any form of change. The more you can define the condition rather than just “fearing change,” the more likely tangible action to address that phobia becomes.

Psychological Symptoms

The most common psychological symptom of this phobia is a persistent, excessive, and irrational fear-of-change anxiety. That said, not every fear is a phobia. As such, two or three of those factors need to be present for your fear to be properly considered a phobia.

Persistency means that you don’t just occasionally fear change, but rather you think about, fear, and obsess over it constantly. If you’re just occasionally worried about change, or only worry about a very specific change (e.g. getting ready to give birth, major changes to your surroundings, a new job, etc.), then chances are you don’t have this phobia.

The degree to which you fear change is also essential. There’s a big difference between being worried about home renovations and being so anti-change that you keep your home the same for decades and get upset if anything is moved even a few inches.

And make no mistake, there are changes where at least mild fear and anxiety is a rational response. We’re living in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and given how radically it has reshaped our lives, being at least a little anxious about that is understandable. On the flip side, if you’re afraid that the most basic change to your life means that you’re sure to die, chances are your fear is irrational and trending towards a phobia.

Physical Symptoms

Just as there is a huge range of variation as far as the psychological component is concerned, there are many potential physical symptoms of change. That said, most tend to be control- or anxiety-oriented.

Fixating on controlling every aspect of your appearance down to the tiniest detail can be a sign that you suffer from this condition.

Other physical conditions are likely to be rooted in symptoms associated with general anxiety disorder, which include the following:

  • Elevated heart rate
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Chest tightness
  • Excessive sweating
  • Sudden bouts of dizziness or fainting
  • Nausea and vomiting

Treatment Options

The question of how to overcome the fear of change is a multi-faceted one which requires different approaches for different people based on the nature of your particular form of this phobia.

If you are worried about your fear of change showing in public, dialectical behavioral therapy can help conceal that. Strategies here focus on measures like half-smiles and other means of better disguising your anxieties in public so you don’t suffer social anxiety as well, while simultaneously tackling those same change-related fears with therapists.

Yoga, meditation, and mindfulness techniques are three other potential methods of overcoming the fear of change.

Anti-anxiety medication is also a possibility, although this tends to be reserved for cases of general anxiety which are more concrete.

In the end, your best bet is to talk with a licensed therapist. He or she will be able to diagnose and give shape to your phobia, which in turn can make it easier to treat.

Change may be constant, but fearing change doesn’t have to be. Following these steps can help you conquer your fears about change, thus helping you change for the better and take the first steps toward embracing a brave new you.

FearAZ.com is looking for personal stories of any 'fear of' or phobia. If you have an interesting story you'd like to share, we welcome your submission. If the story fits with our content and guidelines, we'll add it to our site.
0LikesShare Post

Your Fear Goes Up and Down

Are you someone who would rather climb the stairs than take the elevator? You call it squeezing in a workout after being sedentary the whole morning. Or perhaps you claim it's a faster route. These are both typical, normal, and acceptable reasons. But what if you need to be in the conference room on the eleventh floor in five minutes, and you're wearing your business suit and wingtips? Would you still prefer to take the stairs? If your answer is yes, then maybe it's time to take a closer look at your reasons for avoiding elevators. Elevators stir all sorts of emotions in passengers. From the discomfort of closeness to strangers to the sensations in our gut, elevators can be a source of the heebie-jeebies for many, but for some, they can also be a source of terror. Let's dig a little deeper into the latter, and see what this terror is all about and what can be done to manage it. To begin with, does being inside an elevator give you chills or the sweats? Or does it trigger an unpleasant memory? Perhaps you remember movies you've watched where something terrible happens inside an elevator. From Silence of the Lambs, The Shining, Final Destination 2, or the king of all elevator horror films, 2010’s Devil, the elevator becomes witness to something sinister and horrible. And you want nothing to do with any of it. You know that you're not claustrophobic. You can deal with heights just fine, too. And you know that you're not going to be trapped inside. All of these contribute to a fear of elevators—but they don't apply to you. Yet being inside one does something to you. It's hard to explain.

What is the Fear of Elevators Called?

What you have is a fear of elevators, which is called elevatophobia. It is most commonly triggered by an experience of getting stuck inside either due to a power outage or technical maintenance. Hearing about other people's experiences or watching a movie about similar circumstances can prompt a fear of elevators getting stuck with you inside. Usually, claustrophobics and agoraphobics may also develop elevatophobia because the triggers and objects of these fears are related. Claustrophobia is the fear of closed and cramped spaces, while agoraphobia is the fear of being trapped without any means of escape. Put the two together, and the elevator becomes the perfect combination of both phobias. The space is limited and closed, with only one means of entry and exit. You can add another point of access if you consider climbing the cables like they do in the movies, but that certainly isn't ideal.

Symptoms of Elevatophobia

If for some reason an elevator stops due to an outage or some technical difficulty, passengers with elevatophobia may go into full panic mode. Even if the maintenance team advises that it will just be a matter of minutes, by then, the person's mind has become irrational with the fear of the elevator falling, being stuck for hours, or other unpleasant thoughts. You would expect a person to exhibit the following physical symptoms: Additionally, you would be filled with that overwhelming anxiety where you feel that you have zero control over the situation. You start fearing the unknown and are filled with negative thoughts about death and imminent doom. You become irrational and unresponsive.

Possible Complications of Elevatophobia

When the panic sets in, the possibility of emergencies related to pre-existing conditions may make themselves known. This might include serious health crises like heart attacks or asthma attacks. When this happens, fear becomes a medical emergency. Elevator rides do not last long; it's just a matter of minutes or even less. But the fact that a person can escalate from panic to a near fatal medical situation classifies the fear of elevators as a 'hard phobia.'

Trying Some Self-Help Methods

Your fear of elevators can likely interfere with your social and work life and relationships. Not everyone understands that elevatophobia, like most phobias, can be crippling. But don't be disheartened. Depending on the level of your fear and level of control, you can gradually face and manage your phobia. Here are some recommendations you can try:
  1. Make a List of Everything that Entails Riding in an Elevator This is a systematic approach to getting over your anxiety. By following a step-by-step process, you can identify where the fear kicks in at its strongest. You can write a list of steps like pressing the topmost button and waiting to arrive on that floor, watching as the door closes and opens, being alone inside the elevator, or having delays with the doors opening. Now try doing the opposite. For example, face away from the door or occupy yourself with your phone so that you are distracted.
  2. Create Your Fear Ladder Although the name says fear of elevators, it is not the whole process that scares you. There are just phases and parts of the elevator riding experience that cause you to panic. So go back to the list you initially created and label the fear level you feel. You can do it numerically, too, like ten being 'really scary,' six, 'manageable scary,' and one, 'not scary at all.' You can put the corresponding fear levels so you can focus more time and effort into activities that are more scary to you.
  3. Face Your Fear By now, you have identified what scares you the most. You can try repetitive action to minimize your fear and increase your sense of ‘normalcy’. Remember that the longer you expose yourself to your fear, the better you get at handling your emotions. If you are feeling overwhelmed, stop. Pushing yourself too fast and too soon can backfire. Modify your pace and go slower instead.
  4. Talk About Your Fear People by nature, unfortunately, are not quick to offer understanding and support. You need to tell them what's wrong before they can empathize. Talk to someone who you trust and ask for their support, especially in the initial phase of overcoming your fear. If you are too afraid to ride the elevator alone, you can ask them to go with you, and before you realize it, you are on your floor, and there was no indication of panic.
  5. Learn To Be Patient Be patient with yourself and your predicament. This is, after all, your fight against fear. It might take hundreds of elevator ride practices before the fear gets under control. Even then, there might be some hesitations and episodes of nervousness. These are acceptable and expected, so cut yourself some slack and congratulate yourself for every progress.

Seeking Professional Help

Along with self-help, you can always enlist a medical professional's aid to support you with your elevatophobia. Talking to someone who has experience with similar cases can be comforting, because you know that you are not alone, and this situation can get better. Talk to your doctor about the severity of your fears and the symptoms that you experience. Explain how you deal with it in an attempt to control it. An exam and a health history are made to ensure that there are no unrelated or underlying problems that your symptoms might mask. Usually, phobias like this are approached with a combination of psychotherapy and medication. Your doctor will talk about these options with you, and it's entirely up to you, with your doctor's recommendation, what you want to pursue. For psychotherapy, the most common type is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which aims to help you find different ways of behaving, thinking, and reacting when about to step inside an elevator or when already inside it. With medications, there are beta blockers and benzodiazepines, but note that these can have side effects. Whatever these side effects are, you should promptly share it with your doctor.

Simple Tips to Overcome Elevatophobia

Elevators are not perfect, but their likelihood to malfunction, fall, or get stuck is very low. If you are not fully confident with this information, you can help overcome your elevatophobia by learning common elevator safety tips and basic elevator operations. These should help curb your mild fear until you become more self-assured. In addition to that, here are some of the things that you can do to gradually overcome your fear of elevators—both in getting on and riding one.

Conclusion

Yes, elevatophobia can be a challenge in today's world, but don't allow the elevator to win. Don't let it stop you from taking a job on the top floor or attending a social gathering on the rooftop. Sure, you can take the stairs if you insist and arrive winded and sweaty, with the party about to wrap up. But is this the quality of life you seek? Elevators are designed to make life easier. There are guaranteed ways to help you overcome elevatophobia. Take the first step and seek help. Soon, you’ll see yourself breezing through the floors with those arduous stair climbs little more than a memory.
This Pop-up Is Included in the Theme
Best Choice for Creatives
Purchase Now