Fears of physical contact, of closed spaces…, but also of being single. Mundopsicologos.com experts explain what are the main phobias that can arise from these days of quarantine and how to overcome them. In addition to the most explicit fear, the contagion itself, this pandemic has created a state of uncertainty throughout the world about the economic and social future, with repercussions on the mental balance of the individual.
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Agoraphobia
This type of phobia, from the Greek “fear of the square”, refers to the state of anxiety that affects spaces with indefinite and open limits. After a long period of seclusion, the return to public life could generate terror by having to deal with open situations over which one has no control.
Claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is the fear of closed spaces. Fear is related to the possibility of suffocation, due to being limited in their movements, not having under control the possibility of leaving a certain place when desired. Coming from a quarantine, one of the possible consequences on the psyche is precisely the development of a phobia that fears the closed space as a place of contagion.
Demophobia
It is the phobia towards the crowd. After spending a long time in isolation and always with the fear of contagion just around the corner, another consequence in the psyche may be to develop a form of fear of situations in which a large crowd of people can gather.
Hypochondria
In recent months, illnesses, intensive care and deaths have been at the center of communication, both in the media and in the bar. This monothematism can subconsciously favor the increase of the phobia linked to the excessive fear of getting sick, with the consequent irrational behaviors.
Thanatophobia
The fear of death. It refers to both the fear of dying and the fear of losing loved ones. The number of deaths recorded daily around the world, the bodies piled up in the United States, the tanks in Bergamo, the mass graves in the Amazon, are deeply disturbing images.
Rupophobia
The fear of dirt. This phobia can develop at home as a result of continuous cleaning and disinfection, both personal and home, and it extends in a morbid way to the public space, affecting the ways of relating to others.
ecophobia
It is the phobia of being alone at home, very often connected with the consideration one has of oneself and the ability to handle situations, for example, illnesses.
Eremophobia
Fear to loneliness. Also called autophobia, it refers to the fear of being alone with yourself. Often unknowingly. It is usually the consequence of an abandonment trauma that occurred in the past.
Afephobia or haptophobia
Fear of physical contact, towards which an uncontrollable level of discomfort and revulsion is generated. After the quarantine and the continuous reaffirmation of the high risk of contagion between people, with relative hygiene standards that must be respected, an unjustified phobia of coming into physical contact with other people could arise in individuals.
Anuptaphobia
The restrictions imposed by the pandemic, to avoid contagion, lead all those who do not have a partner to feel that the moment they will be able to meet someone and start a relationship will certainly not be in the near future. Therefore, it is not surprising that some subjects can develop anuptaphobia, or fear of being single. This type of phobia, often caused by social pressure, arises from the vision of the couple as the only way to be complete and happy.
Tips to better deal with the sudden increase in these phobias
1. Don’t think about getting everything right away: It’s important to take time to resume a normal life that doesn’t create more anxiety.
2. Take small steps and with great patience with yourself. We are going through a complex moment and the right thing to do is to indulge ourselves and not judge ourselves by what we feel.
3. Don’t think that just because an anxiety state or a panic attack happened once, it will happen again infinite times. All this has an end and can be managed.
4. Talk about it and don’t feel strange. Even the most unlikely people suffer from these types of ailments, to varying degrees. You often feel lonely and strange, you get scared and shut down, when in reality by talking about it you realize that what you are experiencing is shared by many more people than you can imagine.
5. Practice yoga and meditation. Activities that work on breathing and concentration provide psychophysical benefits.
6. Laugh. Don’t take yourself too seriously. It is very important to find a way to spend fun times. So, say yes to all the people who transmit positivity and joy.
7. Get in touch with a specialist, even online. In some cases, phobias can be controlled and are transient.
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