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Situational Phobias

Ponophobia – The Fear of Overwork

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Working on Ponophobia

Does the thought of overworking or the fatigue due to work push you over the edge? Has it become hard for you to express your feelings to others, with most people dismissing your fear as laziness?

Ponophobia, or the fear of overwork and the pain associated with it, might have you sweating or experiencing a panic attack. And that’s just from the mere thought of overwork.

While it is difficult to live and work with a fear like that, treatment is possible.

Wondering where to start?

By getting to the root cause of the fear!

 

Everything You Need to Know about Ponophobia

Unlike hatred or disgust around the subject of overworking, a phobia is an intense fear response that grips the person suffering from it. While many people might hate or detest overworking and get upset when thinking about work, it doesn’t categorize the condition as a phobia.

According to the ponophobia definition, the idea of overworking or the pain associated with it is the subject of intense fear.

This fear is most commonly confused with ergophobia, a fear of work or fear of finding or losing employment. But they are different.

What Causes a Fear of Overwork?

The fear of overworking or of the associated pain has no clear and definitive cause, but a traumatic experience may have been the catalyst. It may stem from an experience with overworking or experiencing pain from overworking in the past, or even looking at someone in a similar condition.

While emotional trauma alone may not cause a phobia to develop, a genetic predisposition to mental illness or environmental factors might increase a person’s vulnerability.

Irrational thoughts and excessive worry are contributing ponophobia causes that may worsen the fear. Once the person identifies their fear of the subject or the activities that trigger it, they may avoid situations involving potential exposure to the subject.

Eventually, the more a person tries to save themselves from such scenarios, the higher their pain and fear response becomes.

Symptoms of Ponophobia

No two persons experiencing the same phobia react the same way.

And if that’s not enough, these symptoms will also differ based on the severity of the fear and the ponophobia cause.

Here are some of the most common symptoms seen with the fear of overworking or pain from overworking.

Physical Symptoms

A person who fears overwork and its resulting fatigue may experience the following physical symptoms just by thinking about overworking.

  • Increased heart rate or palpitations
  • Rapid breathing
  • Feelings of suffocation or difficulty breathing
  • Excessive sweating
  • Trembling
  • Muscle tension
  • Dry mouth
  • High blood pressure

Psychological Symptoms

  • Anxiety from thinking of overworking or of pain due to overworking
  • Finding it difficult to stay in a job
  • Inability to meet work requirements
  • Ruminating about workplace challenges or negative work situations
  • Panic attacks
  • Disengagement from the workplace
  • Avoidance of taking on work responsibilities
  • Avoidance of overworking or pain
  • Fear of dying or death

 

Treating Ponophobia

How Do You Deal With Ponophobia?

Someone with a strong fear response may rely on avoidance strategies to keep the subject of their fear at bay. They may try to avoid hard work to keep themselves from experiencing the pain of overworking. But this rarely works.

On the other hand, avoiding the subject you fear increases the intensity of the fear responses, worsening your symptoms over time.

Seeking help may become necessary for someone if their fear prevents them from engaging in or doing their best at work.

The good news is that there are plenty of self-help and professional treatments. You can create a strategy that appears reasonable and attainable to you, ranging from professional solutions like cognitive behavioral therapy to self-help methods like meditation.

Self-Help

You can always begin by taking things into your own hands to deal with a phobia.

Exercise is one of the best self-help strategies to reduce the stress associated with the fear of overworking or pain. It can help the person release tension while becoming healthier overall.

Exercise also helps release hormones like endorphins that relieve pain, reduce stress, and improve mood. Aerobic forms of exercise are your best bet.

The next best self-help strategy involves evaluating your diet, alcohol intake, and caffeine consumption.

For instance, caffeine may make you feel jittery and nervous all day long. It worsens symptoms of anxiety.

Taking a look at your diet can help you figure out if you need more of a nutrient or vitamin. Making dietary modifications may help treat the symptoms of ponophobia.

Meditation may help calm your mind and regulate your emotions. You may find it easier to function without your usual caffeine intake.

While self-help does work wonders at taking some of the stress off, it can only do so much. You may want to look into a professional treatment plan, too.

Nonetheless, use these self-help tips to maintain the right mindset and make the most out of therapy or counseling.

 

Professional Help

While there are no targeted treatments designed to cure ponophobia, a combination of treatments works best to deal with the symptoms.

Some professional treatments used in the treatment of ponophobia include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy, and psychiatric medications.

CBT involves uncovering the root cause of the fear, behavior, and other related aspects with the help of a licensed therapist. CBT takes a safer approach and works at uncovering the person’s reasoning behind the fear of overworking or pain.

Since phobias are based on irrational thoughts, CBT works directly to modify unhealthy thought patterns and introduce healthier ones.

Exposure therapy gradually exposes the patient to the subject of their fear. It is one of the most sought treatments for a host of common phobias and uses a desensitization approach.

Exposing the patient to their fear gradually in a controlled environment helps reduce the level of their fear responses or anxiety attacks. Over time, the patient no longer shows the same intensity of fear when exposed to the subject.

 

Learning How to Cope with Ponophobia

There is no targeted treatment designed to cure the fear of overworking or of the associated pain. You may not be able to cure the phobia, but you will be able to better manage it.

Learning to cope with the fear is important. One way to do this is by talking to your loved ones and sharing your fears. Ask them to be supportive as you experience symptoms so you can work to overcome them.

These small actions, like employing self-help strategies and going to counseling and therapy can help you manage your symptoms while you work on the bigger issues.

 

In Conclusion

You can successfully learn to manage the fear of overwork with consistent efforts and persistence. And who knows, you may even get to a point where you think of your work as something you enjoy (even with the stress and fatigue)!

 

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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