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Environmental Phobias

Pagophobia – Fear of Ice

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Breaking the Frozen Shackles: Overcoming Pagophobia, the Icy Grip of Fear

During hot summer days, a refreshing glass of iced tea or iced coffee is just what you need to make the heat tolerable. But instead, you choose not to add ice to your beverage to avoid breaking a cold sweat.

Or perhaps at a party you see a beautiful ice sculpture as a centerpiece. Suddenly, you have an unexplainable urge to leave, even though you were having a great time only minutes ago.

Even a free ticket to Disney on Ice is a no-go for you.

Can you relate to these circumstances? Do you share that uneasy feeling? If you do, and the common denominator is the presence of ice, there’s a possibility that you have a phobia of ice.

Living with this fear can catch you off-guard and impact social relationships and your way of life. The good news is you’re not alone. Your fear of ice is valid. Pagophobia is only one fear in a long irrational fears list, and it can be gripping. So, why not start now to summon the will to overcome and better manage your anxiety?

Pagophobia Causes

Like most phobias, one of the primary pagophobia causes is often a traumatic experience. This can range from simply slipping on the ice while ice skating to falling through the ice on a frozen lake.

You may have also cultivated that fear from witnessing a loved one’s distressing encounter with ice.

It can also be a learned behavior. Say, for instance, you’ve always been cautioned about ice and the possibility of it cracking and you going under, especially if you live near lakes that freeze over during winter. Your caution has unconsciously developed into a fear, associating ice with negative concepts like getting hurt or dying.

As a result, you perceive any form of ice as a threat and something that can negatively impact you, thus fearing it without reason.

Everything You Need to Know about Pagophobia

Having a fear of ice means you feel uncomfortable, anxious, or stressed whenever you’re around it. Now you can finally put a name to those feelings. It’s called pagophobia.

Having a name for it makes it more real. And this specific phobia can branch out given that ice can take on so many forms. It can appear on bodies of water when the temperature drops. It may also appear in the form of sleet, snow, frost, and hail—all natural forms.

Pagophobia can sometimes go hand in hand with chionophobia, the fear of snow, of grandophobia, the fear of hail. But the common denominator among all these fears is ice.

People who have pagophobia, depending on the severity of their fear, may even avoid typical ice cubes. They won’t store or make ice cubes in their refrigerators and they request ice-free beverages. Additionally, some may avoid ice skating rinks and avoid watching sports such as figure skating, curling, or ice hockey.

This irrational fear can be overwhelming, and those around you may not understand it. Once you feel that dread and panic at the sight of ice, all reason is forgotten.

 

Symptoms of Pagophobia

The symptoms of this irrational fear of ice are similar to other phobias. And depending on the level of your fear, you may experience one to several symptoms at a time.

Pagophobia symptoms are unique to each person. The triggers are also different. One may get anxious at the sight of an ice cube tray, while another can be within a few feet of a large ice sculpture before panic sets in.

Overall, the symptoms of this phobia can be classified as physical and mental/emotional. Here are some examples of each:

Physical Symptoms

  • Chills
  • Excessive sweating
  • Dry mouth
  • Headache
  • Hot flashes
  • Hyperventilation
  • Nausea
  • Rapid heartbeat
  • Upset stomach

Mental/Emotional Symptoms

  • Anxiety
  • Guilt
  • Loss of logic
  • Morbid thoughts
  • A nagging feeling of getting hurt
  • Overly emotional
  • Shame

Because of these symptoms, any experience involving ice can be tiring, unpleasant, and even overwhelming.

How Do You Deal with Pagophobia?

People who have pagophobia know, at a certain level, that they don’t have to be afraid of ice. Unfortunately, their fear gets the better of them, leading them to act irrationally.

But despite the irrational reaction, the fear is valid. The primary goal is to learn to better manage it, and hopefully, in time, overcome it.

Knowing that you’re not alone and that others share your fear is comforting. But what offers hope is that there are plenty of viable pagophobia treatment options you can consider ranging from managing it on your own to seeking professional help.

Self-Help: Thawing the Ice on Your Own

You may be surprised at your commitment once you decide to go head-to-head against your phobia. There are plenty of practical ways to handle your fear on your own. Here are just a few:

Acknowledge the Fear

Being in denial and pretending that your anxiety is normal will not allow you to overcome your fear. Instead, accept that ice is a problem for you. Once you’ve acknowledged your pagophobia, the next step is learning to manage your fear.

Learn As Much As Possible about It

As clichéd as it may sound, knowledge is power. Learning as much about your phobia as possible can make you more confident in managing it. You could even create a list of ice forms that trigger your panic attacks. Be honest, and note how you react at the sight of ice.

Try Some Relaxation Techniques

Research the benefits of yoga and meditation, and learn about breathing techniques you can use anytime, anywhere. This is your first defense if you feel like a panic attack is about to kick in. This is when you assure yourself that no amount of ice cubes can control or hurt you.

Getting Professional Help to Manage Your Fear of Ice

Enlisting the expertise and experience of a professional is also a way to better manage your pagophobia. Note, though, that just because you have a professional working with you, it doesn’t mean you can make things right overnight.

Managing and overcoming your fear of ice is not an overnight process. You need to invest time and effort to see signs of progress.

What professionals can provide you with are viable options and methods of treatment. It may be one form of treatment or combining several at a time, but having someone provide you with guidance and support can make all the difference.

Here are some common therapies your doctor may discuss with you:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT aims to make you more confident in your feelings, thoughts, and reactions when faced with any form of ice. It helps ensure you are not overwhelmed with your fear.

Exposure Therapy

As the name suggests, you’ll be gradually exposed to ice and its many forms in phases. It may start with you just being shown an image of ice and go to the point where you finally interact with ice cubes or stand on an actual ice rink.

Use of Medications

There’s also the possibility that your doctor may prescribe beta-blockers or antidepressants, but only when deemed necessary.

Learning to Live with Pagophobia

Self-help and professional treatments are not a one-size-fits-all approach. Managing your fear is complex, and there may be many setbacks. But with determination and a solid support system, you can face the source of your fear and start living a life with confidence.

Wrapping Up

Start thawing the ice, and you may soon realize that ice is not something to be afraid. It can even be a source of fun and entertainment. But while trying to manage your pagophobia, be kind to yourself and take things one day at a time. You’ll get to the point where you won’t be bothered by ice any longer.

 

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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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