What's your phobia?

Fire signs

Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

The fire element is one of ingenuity, instinct and passion. Fiery guys and girls are excitable and impulsive. Like the fire itself, fire signs tend to be dynamic and temperamental. They are quite intense in nature, while reflecting a strong  personality. They have a direct approach to things, however they do have a negative aspect to it, that is you will find them to be dominating in nature.

A fire sign is also an indicator of creativity. From a spiritual perspective, fire represents our passions, compulsion, zeal, creativity and motivation. These signs are free-spirited and like to be the centre of attention, although the reasons can vary. They generally prefer to get things done quickly and on their own terms, but sometimes this spontaneity leads them in too risky situations. They believe one of their weaknesses is showing their true emotions, therefore they tend to mask them with a tough attitude.

Fire signs fear being forgotten: Fear of being forgotten or ignored is called athazagoraphobia.

People having this phobia often experience panic attacks whenever they are left alone, which is a common reaction seen in those who are suffering from social anxiety. Athazagoraphobia leads to depression, as people become seriously autophobic, they start to find certain tasks and activities almost impossible to complete. Usually it happens when autophobes find it difficult to go to public places where there are lots of people or simply a place that is unfamiliar to them.

The symptoms of Athazagora phobia vary from person to person depending on their level of fear. Traits of this phobia include breathlessness or shallow rapid breathing, feeling of being choked, nausea, dry mouth, inability to articulate words or sentences, fainting situation, extreme anxiety, fear and anything associated with panic such as trembling.

While the phobias can be quite crippling, it is up to us how we handle and let the phobias affect our life

Air signs

Aquarius, Gemini, Libra

People born under the air signs  of Aquarius, Gemini and Libra are often described as life’s ‘thinkers’ due to their tendency to analyse information. They are also highly idealistic in their approach towards life.

It isn’t surprising that air sign people often seem to have many ideas and new and interesting perspectives about situations that others might take merely at ‘face value’. In some cases this can lead to successful careers in journalism of various kinds, including as commentators about fields of human activity ranging from fashion, sports, politics, economics and so on. In general, air signs of the zodiac are also associated with excellent communication skills.

While air signs are associated with abstract and original ideas, in some cases they are also accompanied by an idealistic passion for perfection, they also seem to ‘have their heads in the clouds’, as if detached from practical matters, which bother many people in general. In extreme cases, air signs can seem to be ‘out of touch’ with the ‘real world’ in terms of physical, cultural or financial situations.

Air signs fear losing freedom: One of the driving forces of humanity is the pursuit of freedom. Fear of loss of freedom sounds as if it is the opposite of the fear of separation, but it actually comes from the same place. The fear of loss of freedom is the dread of losing self-governance, that which makes you the real you.

One of the most prevalent fears people have is of losing control. One feels that if you don’t manage to control the outcome of future events, something terrible will happen. People who are chronic sufferers keep themselves continuously in a heightened state of stress with only brief, unsatisfying intermissions between fearful episodes.

The crux of the problem is the demand for certainty in a world that is always tentative and uncertain. It is precisely this unrealistic demand that creates the anxiety. You think that you must accurately predict and manage the future, not just have some probabilistic and uncertain handle on it.

Earth signs

Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

People born under the earth signs are often described as responsible and reliable, a ‘safe pair of hands’, people who can be trusted to get a job done. Earth sign people are often described as sensual as they take the time to appreciate life through all the physical senses of sight, sound, touch, smell and taste.

Among the main attributes of earth signs are that they tend to be secure, reliable, with a low-risk attitude, i.e. they always follow the slow but sure way to build material security. In short, earth signs can become so focussed on immediate tasks and goals that they don’t fully appreciate the wider aspects of life, including both the opportunities and people around them.

Earth signs fear failure: Normal amount of doubt regarding success in certain project, relationships or examinations is usually present in most people. However, when the fear of failure takes on an extreme form then it is termed as Atychiphobia.

Individuals coping with Atychiphobia mainly fear failure because they lack confidence in their abilities. Some experience extreme fear of failure because of the ridicule one might face owing to the failure. Likewise, some suffer from Atychiphobia due to the fear of risk-taking. Individuals coping with Atychiphobia often have  unrealistic expectations.

Atychiphobia is often linked to distressing or embarrassing events in one’s past. Strict or overly-demanding parents or demeaning siblings or friends can also lead a child to suffer extreme fear of failure. Minor failures in one’s childhood can cause embarrassment or ridicule. These lead to negative thoughts when undertaking challenges. The fear of failure continues to grow and adds up as one matures. One might even go to great lengths to avoid things that are unlikely to have a favourable ending.

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