Everyday Monsters: Anxiety, Fear, and Phobias, OH MY!
During this time of year, fear is something we talk about more often. Scary movies. Scary costumes. Haunted houses. Fear, when expected and controlled, can be fun! Some of us enjoy the thrill of a jump scare in a scary movie or a haunted house.
But for some of us, fear and anxiety is something we deal with in our day-to-day lives, and it can be debilitating.
3 Common Ways Anxiety and Fear Haunt Our Lives
1. Fear without cause
All of us experience anxiety to a certain degree. Our hearts race before turning a corner in the Halloween corn maze. Our stomachs drop when an animatronic at Spirit Halloween starts talking. That familiar, ominous music causes a feeling of impending doom means something bad is about to happen in the scary movie. Dun-dun…..dun-dun…..dun-dun….
It makes sense for these things to invoke a sense of fear in us. But anxiety may make us feel that sense of impending doom when nothing is really coming.
Our thoughts circle through scary possibilities that are not even possible. Or latch onto things and magnify them into giant issues that we feel are going to send our world crashing down. Feeling almost like we can hear that scary music…dun-dun….dun-dun….dun-dun….but nothing ever comes. That is anxiety.
2. Interfering in day-to-day life
A normal fear reaction may linger a bit after being scared. But, it won’t affect our daily lives. After watching a murder mystery, we may want to sleep with the light on. Or, we may want to double-check the door before bed. But, that’s a normal reaction.
But if we’ve been sleeping with the light on every night for months, or checking the door multiple times throughout the night, anxiety may be a problem. We may have racing thoughts that make it hard to listen to people when they are talking to us. We may have a hard time meeting our normal daily activities because we are so preoccupied with fear and anxiety.
If anxiety is making it hard to be an active participant in your own life, it has become a problem.
3. Feeling out of control
A clear sign that anxiety is a problem is when it feels out of your control. It starts to feel like anxiety is starting to control you.
When your fears are controlling your decision-making.
When your compulsions are affecting the people around you.
When your “What if?” thinking starts to make you feel like the world is a dangerous place.
These are clear signs that anxiety is starting to be in the driver’s seat. But you can take back control! You can take back your life.
Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the feeling of the seasons changing. How the sun hits the trees differently. The decorations. What I don’t love, is the scary stuff. I feel like real life can be scary enough.
If you’ve been fixated on the scary stuff, you’re not alone. If you’re tired of feeling on edge and don’t know how to silence these fears, we are here to help. Let’s tackle anxiety and fear together!
About the Author
Karlee Beville, LCSW, specializes in working with teens and adults to overcome past trauma and move toward a life where they can truly thrive. She’s also passionate about supporting individuals exploring neurodivergence or navigating how to better help a loved one.
Be Inspired Counseling & Consulting’s mission is to inspire hope for change to help individuals move forward and live fully.
Click here to schedule an appointment today.
