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Food Phobias

Fear of Lemons – Lemoniphobia

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Squeezing the Fear out of Lemoniphobia

Does the sight of a ripe lemon fill you with a sense of dread? Have you ever been overcome with anxiety when lemon wedges are served as garnishes on your plate? Has the thought of eating lemon in any form sent you into a panic?

Is there a name for the fear of lemons? Yes, there is.

If you found yourself answering yes to the questions above, you may be experiencing lemoniphobia—the fear of lemons.

As strange as it may sound, the fear of lemons is a very real phobia that can cause visceral reactions in those who suffer from it. And since lemons are such an integral part of most cuisines, it’s not easy to completely avoid this citrus fruit.

Just like any other phobia, however, you can learn to manage this fear of lemons. Keep reading to learn more about what is the fear of lemons, what causes it, and how you can learn to possibly overcome it.

What Causes the Fear of Lemons?

Lemoniphobia causes may vary depending on a number of different factors. More often than not, such phobias are developed during childhood.

It may be something as simple as someone squeezing lemon juice in your eyes, which can sting. And this may have caused you to develop a fear of lemons.

You may have tried to eat a lemon when you were a toddler and were traumatized by its sour taste. Or it could be any other such experience involving lemons that may have scared you.

You may be haunted by these prior experiences or memories, which evolved into a phobia.

 

Everything You Need to Know about Lemoniphobia

Phobias are reactions triggered by a fear of coming into contact with an object—in this case, lemons—and they are not the same as hatred of lemons or a general dislike for their taste.

This fear of lemons might be caused by a person’s upbringing where they were raised by those who are afraid of lemons or who have passed on a fear of lemons.

Lemoniphobia falls under the umbrella of cibophobia, which is a fear of food. And on this food phobia list is also acerophobia, which is the fear of citrus fruits like lemons and sour candies. So, lemoniphobia can be considered an offshoot of acerophobia.

While this may sound like a silly thing to fear, phobias should be taken seriously as they can trigger intense reactions in people. In fact, in 2016, this fear of lemons even led to someone’s death.

Any phobia, no matter how small, can be dangerous if left untreated.

 

Symptoms of Lemoniphobia

The symptoms of lemoniphobia can vary greatly depending on the person experiencing this phobia. Anxiety is a major symptom of any phobia.

In extreme cases, a phobia can trigger a panic attack.

Here are some of the most common symptoms, both physical and psychological, to help you understand how your body might react if you had lemoniphobia.

Physical Symptoms

  • Tightness in the chest accompanied by pain
  • Vomiting
  • Sweating
  • Trembling
  • Dry mouth

Psychological Symptoms

Those with lemoniphobia may experience a few or all of these symptoms. It depends on the severity of the phobia, which can range from mild to severe.

 

How Do You Deal with Lemoniphobia?

Just like any other phobia, lemoniphobia is an irrational fear. Let’s take a look at some of the common lemoniphobia treatment methods.

 

Professional Help

Talk Therapies

Talk therapies such as counseling may be particularly effective in helping deal with lemoniphobia. Talk therapies are noninvasive treatments that involve talking with a qualified and experienced professional about your thoughts and feelings. For example, if you’re questioning what does a lemon have to do with fear, talk therapy will help you understand your phobia better.

There are different types of talk therapies, but they all try to help you assess your thoughts and get more clarity. They will help you:

  • Identify and change problematic patterns in your thinking or behavior (if you want to)
  • Resolve complex feelings and find strategies to cope with them
  • Better understanding yourself
  • Provide you with a safe space and time to speak to someone who will not criticize you

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps you determine whether your feelings are an appropriate response to the reality around you, and if not, helps you address and overcome them.

CBT can help you identify the root of your fear and anxiety concerning lemons and work on ways to deal with it.

Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy is a form of therapy that is known to show significant results in people dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and phobias.

A phobia causes you to avoid the object of your fear in any way, and this therapy tries to re-introduce you to the object in a safe environment. But, don’t worry; you won’t be suddenly asked to drink lemon juice. The exposure will be gradual and accommodate your level of comfort. The therapist would typically first ask you to imagine or picture a lemon, and then imagine its taste. They may then bring a lemon into the room. Eventually, you may be asked to touch or interact with the lemon.

This form of therapy will help you process your emotions about your phobia and unlearn your negative feelings, eventually helping you become comfortable with the object of your phobia.

 

Self-Help: What Can You Do to Help Yourself?

Self-help is also an effective way to overcome your fears. You can learn to manage your anxiety by trying different relaxation methods when you are confronted by your trigger—lemons.

Deep breathing exercises are known to help with anxieties. Talking with a family member or someone you trust can also help with your healing process. We are often not ready to accept certain issues that terrify us as we don’t want to believe it’s true. However, talking about it to someone can help you understand that your phobia exists but is also irrational.

There are numerous support groups both online and offline depending on your area of comfort and how you prefer socializing. You can talk to others going through the same thing as you, which will assure you that you are not alone. This may make it easier to overcome your phobia.

 

Coping with Lemoniphobia

You won’t find lemoniphobia on a list of common phobias, but that doesn’t make it any less important or irrelevant.

If you notice your fear of lemons at an early stage, you can try different self-help methods or inform a trusted friend or family member about it. You can also try slowly exposing yourself to your fears by going out with your lemonade-obsessed friends whom you trust.

However, if your psychological or physical symptoms are extreme, then consider seeking professional therapy.

Similar Phobia that may interest you – Bananaphobia

Conclusion

Lemoniphobia is a very real phobia that can cause anxiety, stress, and a host of unpleasant physical and psychological responses. But don’t let this fear stop you from living your life. Work on ways to overcome it by asking for help from a trusted friend or family member or seeking professional help.

Overcoming your lemoniphobia will allow you to experience life from a more positive perspective without having to worry about getting triggered by this citrus fruit.

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.
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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.
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