How To Overcome Atychiphobia(Fear Of Failure)?
Fearing failure is something we have experienced ever since we were children. After all, fear is one of the basic human emotions, and some amount of it is vital to help us keep out of danger. So many questions in our mind like How to overcome fear of failure? Is it curable or not?
But sometimes, this anxiety becomes overwhelming. Fearing failure too much can have an impact on our performance, and in some cases, we even find ourselves aborting the whole plan because of how much we are afraid of failing at it.
Overcoming this fear of failure is essential for us to succeed in life. Fortunately, many practices can help us tackle our fears and face the challenges life presents us with more bravely and less stressfully.
Diagnosis:
If you have a repetitive fear of failure that’s beginning to impact your daily life negatively, it could be atychiphobia. A doctor or therapist can help diagnose your symptoms and suggest possible treatment options.
When you seek help, you’ll be asked questions about the symptoms you’re experiencing.
Some of the known criteria considered for a formal diagnosis of atychiphobia include whether you might:
- Avoid situations, people, and objects that might cause this specific phobia
- Experience excessive anxiety in routine fear-causing situations
- Have an immediate panic attack or strong fear response to moderate stimuli.
Treatment:
Treatment for phobias like atychiphobia is individual to each person. In general, the main goal of treatment is to improve your quality of life. If you have multiple phobias, your doctor will likely treat them one at a time.
Treatment options may include one or a combination of the following:
- Psychotherapy: Your doctor may refer you to a mental health professional for psychotherapy. Exposure therapy involves gradual but repeated exposure to the things you fear in hopes of changing your response to those situations. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) involves exposure and other tools to help you deal with your fear of failure. Your doctor may recommend one of these therapies or a combination.
- Medication: Psychotherapy is often effective in itself, but there are medications that may help. Medications are generally used as a short-term solution for anxiety and panic related to specific situations.
With atychiphobia, this may mean taking medication before public speaking or an important meeting. Beta-blockers are medications that block adrenaline from elevating your heart rate, raising blood pressure, and making your body shake. Sedatives reduce anxiety so you may relax.
How to overcome fear of failure: Coping techniques for Atychiphobia:
- Get to the Roots of Your Fears: Sit comfortably, take a deep breath, and think about it. Most of the time, our fears are exaggerated. Observing them will help you be clear about your situation.Is there even something dangerous to be afraid of, or is your mind just over-reacting?
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Focus on the Things You Can Control: Instead of worrying about aspects of the situation that you have no power over, focus your energy on things that you can control.
- Think More Positively: Avoid negative self-talk that can undermine your confidence and create feelings of anxiety. Developing a rational and positive approach towards your goals will help you be more confident and motivated towards being successful.
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Redefine Failure: Trials and difficulties in life make us stronger and build our character. This does not imply that you should look out for failures, but whenever you fail, you are also gaining knowledge by learning something and getting a glimpse of the right path.
Failure will teach you control and give you a chance for self-growth. Temporary defeats will point out the areas where you lack and need improvement. Failure is the best teacher. Learning from mistakes will make you more mature and a better person.
- Strategize your Approach: Create a practical plan and start taking action. Sitting idle and focusing on adverse outcomes won’t get you anywhere. Goals provide direction and will help you with better decision-making.Having a step-by-step plan will help you define what’s the next best step you can take. Realistic and challenging goals will increase your chances of success by a significant margin.
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Be Kind to Yourself:
- Recognize that some failure is inevitable for everyone.
- Practice forgiving yourself when you do fail.
- Focus on the failure as a failed task, not an indication of your self-worth.
- Look at what went right in the situation, even if the overall goal was not met.
- Challenge negative self-talk.
A Word From Verywell:
Overcoming your fears of failing is not a simple task. But it’s well worth the effort. Fearing failure is something you must learn to manage if you ever want to fulfill your dreams.
Using these techniques will help you understand that your fear is nothing but your thoughts. You have nothing to fear but fear itself. Self-limiting behaviors and irrational fears are the only things standing between you and your dreams. But once you get a hold of yourself and start approaching them rationally, you can easily overcome your fear of failure.