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List of 15 Scary Things for the Girls

Do you think you know what scares the gals in your life? You may be surprised when you find out the top phobia’s that women have today. We all are afraid of something, but a phobia is much more than just being afraid. Anyone that has a phobia will tell you that it is a gripping fear of doom that causes you to sweat, have a fast heartbeat, and in some cases want to run for the hills.

1. Gerascophobia: Fear of Aging
Everyone male and female alike want to look their best and stay young. We may use different creams, dye our hair, and do other things to try to give a youthful appearance. Those with gerascophobia can begin to feel old before their time and feel ill, begin to feel ugly, and even want to stay indoors so no one sees them. Many times, those that have the fear of aging take plastic surgery to extremes. The cause is unknown except that it is an irrational fear that can paralyze individuals with just the slight thought of an upcoming birthday and become a year older.

2. Gephyrophobia: Fear of Crossing Bridges
There are bridges everywhere and most people never give them a thought, they just keep driving. Those with gephyrophobia may begin to have sweaty palms just knowing they have to cross a bridge to get to work. Children may close their eyes and hold their breath and even some adults. The fear of crossing a bridge is so intense that many women will take an alternative route just so they do not have to cross a bridge. The fear could be due to the fear of driving off the bridge or the bridge might collapse.

3. Bossophobia: Fear of the Boss
You may feel a bit anxious when the boss calls you into their office, but those with bossophobia may have a panic attack if that were to occur. Just meeting a supervisor or the boss can cause a person to be so anxious that they may not even hear the words the boss is saying. Anyone in authority can bring on the same anxiety. You may get sick to the stomach, sweat, or feel like hiding. The cause is often due to a past experience such as being fired or reprimanded for doing poor quality work.

4. Entomophobia: Fear of Insects
Have you sat and watched ants work the day away? A person with entomophobia would never do such a thing or even think about an ant without having high anxiety. The fear of insects often stops the person from venturing out into the world to parks or other places where they may see an insect. The fear could be from being bitten or stung as a child or learned from a parent that had the fear or was always cautioning the child about insects.

5. Aporophobia: Fear of Poverty and Poor People
In today’s world, there are many homeless people. Those with aporophobia will avoid any street where they believe they may see a poor person or those living in poverty. The fear is so intense that it can cause a person to faint or have a rapid heartbeat. The fear of poverty and poor people may come from a learned experience or from seeing a television program depicting these individuals in a negative manner.

6. Autophobia: Loneliness or Being Alone
Autophobia is an irrational phobia that may place women in bad situations. They are so afraid of being alone that they try to stay around others all the time if possible. The fear of loneliness can also be the fear of being unloved or unwanted. Isolation or even thought of going home to an empty home can bring on a full-blown panic attack. The cause could be from childhood whereas they were abandoned or by a parent forgetting to get them from school or other similar situations.

7. Achievemephobia: Fear of Success
Most of us want to achieve and become successes, or so we say. You may know an individual with achievemephobia. The fear of success is a social phobia that can bring on different physical and emotional responses including shaking or not wanting to get a promotion or get married. The cause may be afraid of fame, leaving friends behind, or possibly from childhood. A parent constantly telling a child they will never succeed can lead to fear of success.

8. Gynophobia: Fear of Women
You might believe that women should not be afraid of women, but the opposite is true. Men also have gynophobia but the cause is usually different. For women, they are their peers. They never want to look bad in front of them but those with the fear of women may hate that a woman looks better than them, has more money, or a host of other things. This can bring on high anxiety if they have to be around other women so they begin avoiding such situations. This could come from high school when so much depended on looks and they were not in the in-crowd.

9. Astraphobia: Fear of Thunder and Lightning
Do you watch the sky and news worrying that a storm may be approaching? The fear can be so strong for those suffering from astraphobia that they may begin to have anxiety in the morning when they hear that storms will be in their area in the afternoon. It is not the storm itself, but the thunder and lightning that causes these individuals to want to run and hide under the covers. They will try to ensure they are at home when they know a storm is coming to ensure they feel safe. The cause is often a traumatic event that occurred during a storm.

10. Germaphobia: Fear of Germs
Cleaning the home excessively or washing hands constantly could be a sign of germaphobia. Those with the fear of germs often spend so much time worrying about germs and trying to plan their day to stay away from any place where there could be germs. Germs are things like viruses and other illnesses. The thought of going to the hospital could bring on a full-blown panic attack. In many cases, the fear of germs began as a child when the child was sick or saw another loved one ill.

11. Emetophobia: Fear of Vomiting
No one likes to feel ill or vomit, however, those with emetophobia are afraid of vomiting. Not only are they afraid of vomiting, but are also afraid to see another person vomit or be ill whether in person, in a photo, or a movie. Just the thought of vomiting can cause the individual to avoid people, avoid alcohol, or medicines. They will begin to feel heaviness in their chest when they see or think of vomiting. The cause could be from having food poisoning in the past, being very ill during childhood, or having someone vomit on them in the past.

12. Aerophobia: Fear of Flying
Enjoying a nice vacation is something most of us dream about, however, if you have aerophobia, you will want to take a car. The fear of flying can bring on a choking feeling, rapid heart rate, sweating, and nausea. If your parents were afraid to fly then you could also have the phobia. Other reasons could be from watching the news regarding a plane crash.

13. Ornithophobia: Fear of Birds
Ornithophobia can be the reason someone does not want a pet bird or they may only be scared of large birds such as hawks. The person that has a fear of birds will try to avoid places where they may encounter the type of bird that makes them feel like they are losing control. They may begin shaking or have heart palpitations. The phobia could be from watching a scary movie, a bird swooping down and grabbing some of their hair for its nest as a child, or if the parents were afraid of birds.

14. Claustrophobia: Fear of Enclosed Places
Living in a big city and using elevators all the time could cause a person with claustrophobia to have a panic attack. The thought of any small enclosed place such as a room, closet, casket, or elevator can bring on sweating, anxiety, and unbearable fear. The phobia may have begun when the individual was stuck in a large crowd, in a broken elevator, or locked in a small room as a child.

15. Cynophobia: Fear of Dogs
Dogs may be a man’s best friend but several women have a fear of dogs. An individual with cynophobia may have both physical and emotional symptoms with the thought of a dog or seeing someone walk their dog. Anxiety attacks or only feeling dizzy can begin just by seeing a photo of a dog according to the severity of the phobia. As a child, the person may have heard bad things about dogs, been bitten by a dog, or a family member may have been scared of dogs.

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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