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XYLOPHATAQUIEOPIAPHOBIA –
The Fear of Not Pronouncing Words Right!
By
Vivek Hande
Seneca wrote, “Where
Fear is, Happiness is Not”. While it is right to say that one should be able to
face ones’ fears and take them head on, the reality is, that fears often do
have a way of gripping you in a tight vice.
The other side of every fear, they say is freedom.
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| Facing fear.. |
Fear is described as an unpleasant emotion caused by the
belief that someone or something is dangerous and likely to cause pain or pose
a threat. Phobias are an extreme or irrational form of fear or anxiety that is
out of proportion to the situation or object. Phobias are a strong,
unreasonable fear or even a feeling of hate for a particular thing. Phobias are
typified by being persistent and often make the sufferer want to avoid a
situation or an object.
Each of us have our own share of fears-logical or otherwise.
Every time I travel, I have a consistent fear that my checked in baggage will
be misplaced and will not arrive on the conveyor belt and if it does, it would
be the last to arrive on the belt. More often than not, my fear on this account
turns out to be true. I have started many trips to places shopping for new
clothes. I am also rather well known in the “Missing Baggage” section in most
airports.
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| Missing Invariably ! |
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| Not so Friendly |
Another of my fears is to do with ATM booths- I have a fear every
time I insert the card, that the machine is going to refuse to give me money
(it happens very often) or worse, gobble up the card (happens to me with
worrying regularity).
Yet another of my consistent fears is to do with ceiling
fans- I have a transferable job and each time, I shift into a new house, I
make it a point to do the “Fan Test”. I swing on the fan in each room to ensure
that it is indeed secure and not likely to fall off when in motion. Well, each
to his own!
There
are three kinds of Phobias. The three types of phobias are Social Phobia (fear
of public speaking, meeting new people or other social situations), Agoraphobia(fear
of being outside), and Specific Phobias (fear of other items or situations).
While
it is certainly not a nice thing having a phobia about anything, the range of things
once could be phobic about does make for an interesting list.
Object / Situation
|
Phobia
|
Fear Of Anything Yellow(Sun/ Daffodils/
yellow Paint)
|
Xanthophobia
|
Fear Of Cheese
|
Turophobia
|
Fear Of Falling Asleep
|
Somniphobia
|
Fear Of Clowns
|
Coulrophobia
|
Fear Of Woods/ Forest/Trees
|
Hylophobia
|
Fear of the Navel
|
Omphalophobia
|
Fear Of Being without Mobile Phone coverage
|
Nomophobia
|
Fear Of Heaven
|
Uranophobia
|
Fear Of Rain
|
Ombrophobia
|
Fear Of Beards
|
Pogonophobia
|
Fear of the Number 13
|
Triskaidekaphobia
|
Fear of Holes
|
Tyrpophobia
|
Fear of Mess and Untidiness
|
Ataxophobia
|
Fear of Almost Everything
|
Panphobia
|
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| Coulrophobia- no clowning matter |
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| It is Raining Fear |
This list is by no means exhaustive and is actually endless and that is rather scary in its own way.In today’s scenario, the one
fear which dominates all others is “Coronaphobia”. Anybody who coughs is looked
at with such intense fear. An unmasked person evokes a strange sense of trepidation,
anxiety and sheer dread.
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| Masking it all .. |
Fears, as somebody remarked are rationally and
carefully cultivated as roses; Phobias are however quite irrational and are
like wild weeds. Be that as it may, we have to confront our fears and face them
before they consume us. Sometimes just a little bit of light is enough to
change phobias to fluttering butterflies.
