Neophobia - what it is and how it arises. Why are people afraid to change their lives and what it can lead to. How the best ways to overcome the fear of change are shown. The occurrence of certain situations that can really radically change life makes a person think about how significant these changes will be. Will they force them to take on additional responsibility (for example, a family, a child, a new position), will they change environmental conditions (moving, another job or losing it), relations with family and friends (moving to another city, breaking up relations, tragic developments).
Regardless of whether a person is afraid of these changes or not, he understands that they oblige him to try on a new role, predict the scale of changes and make a decision. And if he is not an optimist, then his forecasts will not be rosy, and the very need to change something will cause terrible discomfort with the above-described manifestations.
The intensity of the manifestation of fear of change can vary depending on the level of sensitivity of the person, the scale and suddenness of the change. Often, symptoms appear on the eve of changes and during decision-making, that is, until the situation is resolved.
How to get rid of neophobia
New changes in life do not always bring positive moments, and this is rather difficult to predict. Especially in theory. Of course, this is not a reason to mindlessly take risks and embark on adventures, but you should not completely protect yourself from everything new. Thus, you deprive yourself of the chances to make your life better, more productive. Therefore, getting rid of the fear of change is one of the very important decisions on the path to happiness and well-being.
Since neophobia is not one of the serious pathologies, the fight against it is quite effective using only psychological practices. Most often, auto-training, various psychotechnics, meditation, psychological trainings and counseling are used for this. Sometimes medications can also be prescribed to relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression. However, it is believed that the use of such drugs can not only further aggravate the anxiety state, but also cause addiction to them.
Experts have developed several effective ways to overcome the fear of change that you can use yourself. Here is some of them:
- Make lists … One of the simplest and most effective ways to correctly assess a situation is to disassemble it "on the shelves" in writing. To do this, simply divide the sheet into two columns, where you write down all the pros and cons of the changes that threaten you. Such tactics often show that emotions and fear of change can greatly exaggerate the complexity and futility of an event.
- Analyze your decisions and their consequences … Be sure to analyze any of your decisions - both successful and unsuccessful. Then, if the need arises to make a decision, you can try on the situation to those that have already been in your life. Perhaps something like this has already happened, but then you did not dare to change and later realized that in vain. This will help you overcome your fear of change.
- Swap places … To exclude your own, "interested" in failure assessment of the situation, put another person in your place. Think about what he would do if he had the chance to make such a change in life.
- Do not miss your chance … Treat the opportunity to change something in your life, taking into account several factors. The first factor is luck. This volatile lady does not always and not give everyone a chance to change their lives. Therefore, if you see that circumstances are developing with the best outcome, you should not miss this opportunity. The second factor is age. It's no secret that youth is the age that not only provides the greatest number of opportunities, but also has the greatest amount of resources to use them. Consider this when life gives you a chance to change something - it may not be there later. And if it does, will age allow it to be realized.
- Face your fear … A pragmatic approach to the situation is useful, so feel free to turn it on and turn off emotions. Set yourself up for a good outcome and don't look too far in your predictions. Take risks, try, change.
How to get rid of neophobia - watch the video:
The fear of change is inherent to some extent to everyone. He helps only one to reach the peaks with minimal losses, and makes others desperately resist any changes in life. Therefore, it should be present in a small dose, but do not overdose it. Otherwise, he will close the road to everything good that could happen to you.
