The monsters under my bed : fears and phobias.

Abstract

Fear. Everyone knows what it is and what it can do to them. It is a primal instinct ever since human beings were created. We thrive and protect ourselves with it. Humans like to be scared, we love watching horror films and we enjoy the rush of adrenaline that is a roller coaster ride. But if this fear is not controlled, it can take over our entire lives. And that is when we have a phobia. A phobia is an irrational fear and one that is hard to manage. We cannot help but fear a certain situation or object, to the point of behaving impractically by going out of our way to avoid it. That is when it takes over us, and we either learn to live with it and inconveniencing both ourselves and others, or seek treatment, which is in itself a huge step to take, especially for really anxious people. Many adults have fears that originate from childhood, e.g. a common fear of monsters underneath the bed can lead to a lifelong fear of robbers and burglars. Over time, these fears usually fade or manifest in such a way that is controllable, however, they can sometimes turn into a full-fledged phobia.