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Body Phobias

Obesophobia — Fear of Gaining Weight

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Fear of Gaining Weight Can Lead to Other Issues

Do your thoughts and feelings regulate the way you eat? Are your eating patterns disturbed, and do you feel a morbid sense of dread with each bite?

Is every morsel laced with the fear of gaining weight?

You are not alone.

Like many around you, you might be suffering from obesophobia, the irrational fear of gaining weight.

The first step to dealing with this phobia is to be aware of it. Understand the phobia, where it stems from, and recognize the symptoms. Join a support group or talk to a trusted someone about your fear.

Practice yoga, meditation, and exercise to help manage your fear.

Finally, consult a therapist for medication and professional treatment if you are unable to tackle it yourself.

Read on for more.

What Is Obesophobia: What You Need to Know

The irrational fear of gaining weight, even in cases when you might be actually losing it, is known as obesophobia. When you suffer from obesophobia, you expose your body to harmful extremes such as starvation. This happens when you have an underlying fear and an unhealthy relationship with your body and food.

Some common concerns about gaining weight may not necessarily be linked to obesophobia. This fear only exists in those who experience anxiety, distress, and/or tension at the thought of consuming food and gaining weight.

Also known as pocrescophobia, obesophobia is a specific phobia. This means that it is a phobia with an unreasonable and unexplainable fear of things that do not actually pose a threat.

Causes of Obesophobia

Different factors and circumstances play a role in the development of obesophobia. For some, the fear is a result of genetics and a family history of food disorders, mental illness related to food, or the fear of food itself.

Other common reasons that result in obesophobia are past traumatic events. Some may start associating the fear with a negative food event they may have experienced in the past. Or if peers or family members constantly teased them about their body, they may suffer from obesophobia.

Prolonged exposure to television where different ideals of beauty are projected can be harmful and can lead to a growing fear of food. You may also end up developing obesophobia if you observe others around you going through the same issues with food and weight.

What Is Obesophobia Like?

Obesophobia can not only affect your relationship with food but also with people around you. You start living an unhealthy lifestyle, avoiding food, and depriving your body of essential nutrients.

Your social life is also affected, because you’ll tend to avoid social events and gatherings involving food. The past event that damaged your relationship with food lingers, and this affects your regular routine. You are unable to complete your daily tasks because of this interference, and you start losing concentration, focus, and motivation.

Symptoms of Obesophobia

Consider whether you may be dealing with obesophobia or another food disorder by looking for these key psychological and physical symptoms:

Psychological Symptoms

  • Frequently working out to excess and eating very small portions of food.
  • Irrational concern about becoming obese even amidst weight loss.
  • Poor self-image.
  • Low self-esteem.
  • Unhealthy relationships with others.
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder.
  • Always anxious about gaining weight, so avoiding events that involve food.
  • Counting calories obsessively.

Physical Symptoms

  • Underweight and undernourished because of a complicated relationship with food.
  • Excessive sweating and heart palpitations at the sight or thought of food.
  • Feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
  • Shortness of breath.
  • Constant chest discomfort.
  • Abdominal pain.

How Do You Deal with Obesophobia?

Like any other phobia, dealing with obesophobia is no easy feat. Especially when it concerns food, something that you need for survival. The first step is to acknowledge the issue and accept it.

Try to determine whether you suffer from the fear of food or from another mental illness related to food such as bulimia or anorexia.

Try to talk to a trusted friend or relative about the problem. Sharing your problem can ease the load.

If you can’t do this by yourself or with a friend, talk to a therapist who can help you identify your issues. With professional guidance, work to identify whether you suffer from the fear of food or from another form of mental illness related to food.

Another helpful way to deal with phobia is to join a support group where you’ll find people going through similar circumstances. This will give you the opportunity to discuss your fears with people who can relate to them and also help you come to terms with specific food experiences that make you anxious.

Yoga and exercise can help you deal with the phobia and help you feel better about your physical appearance. Limit caffeine intake as it may make you feel anxious and stressed.

Obesophobia Treatment

Although there are no specific and exclusive treatments designed for obesophobia, there are plenty of available treatment options to consider to help those struggling with a troubled relationship with food.

Exposure Therapy

This treatment is based on the philosophy of exposing you to the source of your fears. During treatment, you may be gradually exposed to calorie-dense food items. The therapist does this in a controlled, safe manner so that your relationship with food improves over time.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Through conversation and guidance, a professional therapist helps clients sort through those negative thought patterns that led to the growth of the phobia. This, in turn, helps clients identify habits. Additional benefits are the learning of coping techniques to deal with a fear of food.

How to Cope with Obesophobia

Coping with a phobia might not be easy, but it is effective. In the case of obesophobia, maintaining and revisiting a list of beliefs may serve as one coping mechanism. Here’s an example:

  • Honor your body and accept it just as it is, with all its flaws and imperfections. The more you love your body, the more comfortable you will be with any changes it endures over time.
  • Stop comparing yourself with others. The fear of gaining weight is closely linked with peer pressure and societal pressure.
  • Follow a diet routine that is suitable for your body and includes all the nutritional requirements that will keep you physically and mentally fit. If you suffer from an eating disorder, make sure to reach out for help immediately.
  • Identify the source of your fear. If the fear stems from people commenting about your body, then draw a boundary and express your concerns with them.
  • Commit to acknowledging your fears and work towards getting rid of them, one step at a time. Read a book, listen to music, and avoid those who bring you down because of your appearance.

Final Words
Fear remains a fear only until you come to terms with it, acknowledge it, and then work your way to getting rid of it. If your fear has taken the best part of your life, there are ways to get it back. Resort to help from a professional, believe in self-love and self-help, and improve your habits and routine a little bit each day to enjoy an anxiety-free life where food is a pleasant thought not a stressful one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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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