Laura A asked:
Fear, a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid. Everybody has a fear, whether it is fear of the dark, sharks, ghosts, or even death. My fear, however, happens to be the fear of no air, some people call it claustrophobia, typically thought to have two key symptoms: fear of restriction and fear of suffocation. Most people are afraid of death, yes, that is true, however, nobody ever mentioned HOW you would die. Would you be painfully stabbed, or silently put to sleep? When you really truly find the reasons of WHY you’re afraid, it really opens more doors to why this is your fear. And hopefully, with some luck, maybe these questions will help you realize WHY your afraid, and maybe even help you find a way to cure this unforgiving, painful thought. I believe that with some time and effort, anybody can get rid of his or her fears; the hard part is, though, HOW you overcome your fears. This is the obstacle I face day to day with my fears, as well as many other frightened people as well. Claustrophobia is an abnormal fear of being in narrow or enclosed spaces. In other words, fear of no space or oxygen, this, is my fear.
Everybody likes to have their own space; they call it their own personal “bubble.” Well, so do I. The thought that frightens me is the thought of closing in spaces, slowly creeping up towards you, only to leave you with nowhere else to go. I personally have never been in a situation such as this, but there’s always a first time for everything. One reason of why this is my fear is because I constantly like to know that I’m safe, that nothing harmful can happen to me. To think that there may be a moment in your life when suddenly you don’t have that kind of protection, you’ll never know if you’ll survive it or not. Another reason of why this is my fear is simply because of the fact of being able to breathe freely. With no air, you cannot breathe, that is true. However, slowly suffering and being tortured to death losing all breath makes it a much more painful thought. Being enclosed in a tight space takes away that opportunity to breathe freely, suddenly, you’ll find yourself gasping for air, only to find yourself fighting for your life.
As you can see, there are an infinite number of fears many people face day after day. Now, of course I do not focus on my fear every chance I get, but it doesn’t’ mean it isn’t on the back of my mind. One study indicates that anywhere from 2-5% of the general world population is affected by severe claustrophobia, but only a small percentage of these people receive some kind of treatment for the disorder. A typical claustrophobic will fear restriction in at least one, if not several, of the following areas: small rooms, locked rooms, tunnels, cellars, elevators, subway trains, and crowded areas. Additionally, the fear of restriction can cause some claustrophobics to fear trivial matters such as sitting in a barber’s chair or waiting in line at a grocery store simply out of a fear of confinement to a single space. However, claustrophobics are not necessarily afraid of these areas themselves, but, rather, they fear what could happen to them should they become confined to said area. Often, when confined to an area, claustrophobics begin to fear suffocation, believing that there may be a lack of air in the area to which they are confined. Any combination of the above symptoms can lead to severe panic attacks. However, most claustrophobics do everything in their power to avoid these situations. I will never let this fear take over my life, as many people have. I do not have a severe condition of this condition, but it’s always going to be a part of me.
Click Here to find out how I got rid of Panic Attacks!
