Working Through the Excessive Fear of Fish
Do you have an exaggerated fear of any fish, regardless of its size?
Do you exhibit an uncontrolled and irrational fear of fish or anything that looks like a fish?
Do you experience considerable anxiety from the mere thought of fish, let alone seeing one physically, maybe walking through a fish market?
If you find yourself exhibiting intense anxiety to the extent of experiencing a panic attack, you may be suffering from ichthyophobia or the excessive fear of fish.
Other signs you’re likely to experience include increased breathing rate and trembling. This phobia can be frustrating not just for the sufferer but even for those around him or her because it affects various facets of an individual’s life. Fish can be hard to avoid unless you live in the desert, grocery stores, restaurants, art, department stores, the list of places that may have fish or related items is vast.
Individuals with this phobia might recognize and understand that the feeling of discomfort around anything with gills and scales isn’t normal, but the sufferer feels powerless to control the physical symptoms related to their fear.
Let’s Learn to Solve the Problem
The fear of some animals is adaptive and comparatively ordinary provided it’s in harmony and proportionate with the actual danger of the animal concerned. However, if this fear is dominating you and conditioning your behavior, it’s time you sought help.
Although admitting that you have a phobia can be uncomfortable, it’s the initial step to obtaining help to handle it. Thankfully, self help and at some point professionals can help patients conquer fear and lead a life without phobias. we say phobia(s) because the fear of fish often goes hand in hand with the fear of water.
Since definitive causes of the phobia don’t exist; there are no treatments designed specifically for the condition. Nonetheless, various modes of treatment can help improve several of the symptoms considerably.
What is the Deep Fear All About?
Itchyophobia denotes the persistent or irrational fear of fishes. The comparatively rare phobia includes situations where a sufferer fears eating fish, or seeing a dead one, or being around an aquarium, smelling fish, touching a fish and so on. In some instances, the fear is of a specific fish, for instance, just sharks. Despite statistics revealing that the odds of an attack are extremely low, one may experience a phobia of sharks.
Most people with this condition accept that their phobia is irrational but continue experiencing it irrespective of having this knowledge. While some individuals might feel tense around fish for different reasons, such as the likelihood of being harmed, such feelings can develop into a phobia when it restricts someone’s daily functioning.
Like most phobias, this one can manifest differently across people. This is because they have different thought patterns when it comes to fish. Unlike the attitude that each person might exhibit when encountering some kind of fish in a natural situation, for instance, at the beach, those with the phobia recognize that fish don’t pose a threat.
Despite this, however; sufferers can’t resist the extreme fear it causes. In whichever case, when the person encounters the phobic stimulus, he or she will experience a range of emotions and physical manifestations that are typical of a very intense state of anxiety or disgust.
Some even exhibit a full-blown attack. The phobia can experience elevated blood pressure, trembling, muscle tension, and excessive sweating. While panic attacks might not always be evident among the symptoms, they can still arise, particularly if the symptoms are extremely severe.
Those with a phobia might find themselves avoiding their source of fear to the extent of ensuring they can’t face fish exposure in any way. For instance, the person might decline to approach any water bodies to make sure they don’t see fish.
Such irrational thinking and excess worry is a major source of mental anguish for sufferers. Although somebody with the condition might avoid his or her fear to decrease the likelihood of experiencing any instant anxiety, this is counterproductive because it will merely exacerbate the symptoms in the long term.
Ichthyophobia Symptoms
Since this condition is a part of the broader category of anxiety disorders, it shares symptoms with other phobias. Symptoms can be psychological, physical, and behavioral. It’s worth noting that although most manifest similar symptoms, the intensity and incidence of symptoms can differ from person to person.
Physical Symptoms
In this case, the phobic stimulus, that is fish, elicits hyperactivity of the autonomous nervous system, which produces considerable changes and alterations, including:
● Trembling and dizziness
● Increased sweating
● Nausea
● Confusion
● Pressure sensation in the chest
● Shortness of breath
Psychological Symptoms
● Panic attacks
● Anxiety
● Being overwhelmed
● Needing to escape
Cognitive Symptoms
When you have a preconceived notion or association with fish, they help the phobia develop in a person’s mind. The sufferer begins to have a series of unsubstantiated or unfounded thoughts concerning fish and their traits. These thoughts can manifest in the following ways:
● Obsessive speculation with fish
● Feeling of unreality
● Fear of the loss of control and being unable to handle the situation satisfactorily
● Intrusive and uncontrollable thoughts regarding fish
Behavioral Symptoms
Like any specific anxiety disorder or phobia, a series of behavioral manifestations accompany ichthyophobia. These behaviors happen when the person encounters fish in any way – even in their thoughts for severe cases. People with this phobia seek to avoid the dreaded situation or escape. These behaviors are termed avoidance or escape behaviors.
Sufferers exhibit avoidance behaviors to avoid encountering any fish type. They do so to prevent the feelings of anxiety and anguish elicited by these animals. Conversely, escape behaviors emerge when a person hasn’t been able to avoid encountering the stimulus in question.
Consequently, they will exhibit behaviors that permit them to escape from the present situation as soon as possible.
Ichthyophobia Treatment
There are several modes of treatment available for those suffering from the phobia of fish.
Self-Help
Although it can be challenging to deal with this condition, some self-help strategies can help ease your fears, including:
Relaxation Strategies
When you find yourself exhibiting fear-related symptoms in reaction to fish, try a relaxation method to calm your body and mind, including:
Deep Breathing
This type of breathing helps patients avoid the fight-or-flight response to situations that are physically or mentally terrifying. Relaxation techniques can help decrease nervousness while improving your relaxation reaction.
Visualization
This powerful technique can help you relax and alleviate stress. It entails using mental imagery to attain a more relaxed mental state. When exhibiting a panic attack episode, you might concentrate on the worry and other distortions that merely worsen your fear. Visualization seeks to expand your relaxing ability by concentrating your mind on calming images.
Self Exposure
Although professional treatment under a therapist is ideal, you could adopt a self-help approach to ease your fears. Begin by visualizing yourself near fish, and then adopt relaxation approaches to calm yourself.
Over time, expose yourself gradually to the stimulus and you’ll find it easier to attain a calm mental state. Just make sure you confront the fear in a well-controlled setting.
Professional Help
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
This therapy works by helping a patient uncover the reason behind his or her thoughts, feelings, and behaviors when it comes to fearing fish. Understanding such aspects might help a patient adopt a more pragmatic approach when reflecting on their phobia.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
The evidence-based program provides intense mindfulness training to help those suffering from this condition. In such a program, someone with this phobia can learn various skills to help alleviate the intense anxiety that accompanies their phobia.
Help Yourself Tackle Ichthyphobia?
Consider these tips when you find yourself asking the question ‘how do I overcome my fear of fish.’
Reaching Out
Consider joining a support or self-help group where you can link with others who identify with what you’re going through.
Self Care
Obtain sufficient rest, be physically active, and eat healthy foods. Avoid caffeine because it could worsen anxiety.
Learning how to cope with ichthyophobia can go a long way towards normalizing your life. To overcome it, just adopt the necessary strategies the next time you encounter fish and you won’t experience a panic attack.
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