We live in a world that celebrates fearlessness. The usual image of a leader is smart, strong, and brave. But fear, like any other emotion, has its purpose and usefulness. Fear makes us defensive about certain situations, preventing us from acting hastily and potentially making big mistakes. It is here to remind us that we are in a difficult situation and that we should proceed with caution – to protect ourselves.
While the fear of making a mistake, like any other fear, will serve its purpose, and at a normal dose, will help most of us think twice before we start dealing with a situation. But for some people, the fear of making mistakes can turn into a serious phobia that permeates every part of their lives.
Define phobias
To fully understand what a phobia is, we first need to understand what a phobia is. Some people interpret phobias as a greater fear than usual, but that's just part of it. Phobia is actually an anxiety disorder that manifests itself as a persistent, unrealistic, and exaggerated fear. This anxious fear, also known as a specific phobia, refers to an intense and disproportionate fear of a particular object, person, or situation.
As mentioned earlier, experiencing normal doses of fear is not a bad thing, but when it comes to phobias, it's important to note that, often, they don't have a real risk or danger. This often imaginary threat can hinder our daily lives, burden relationships, limit our ability to work, and lower our self-esteem.
Phobia is an irrational excess of fear of making mistakes that can be considered an extreme form of perfectionism. But more than that – this irrational fear of making mistakes will undoubtedly prevent people from doing a lot of things, making them avoid doing a lot of things because they start doing nothing instead of doing something and risking making mistakes.
What's more, they often dwell on past mistakes or imagine and think about mistakes they might make in the future.
These thoughts create overwhelming anxiety and can make people who experience them feel panic, nervousness, nausea, breathlessness, dizziness, or palpitations.
This great fear of making mistakes often leads to constant judgment and negative self-evaluation because from your perspective, you are not doing things perfectly, properly, or correctly. This need for perfectionism is not the same as ambition or excellence.
Even if we all want to succeed, we have the ability to tolerate some shortcomings, manage our sense of anticipation, and accept the mistakes we make. People with movement phobia can even be overwhelmed by the idea of an unsuccessful adventure, which tends to make them miserable and frustrated.
Altaïr phobia symptoms
The symptoms of movement phobia are very similar to other specific phobias and may include:
Panic attacks
Can't make decisions
Can't relax
I often feel dizzy
Tingling sensation
palpitation
Various kinds of pain
Dry mouth
desudation
Shortness
These symptoms are often unconscious and uncontrollable and can overwhelm a person's thoughts, which can lead to extreme measures to avoid situations that trigger fear.
Unfortunately, avoiding such a situation will have a contradictory effect, and the phobia will only get bigger.
Over time, most people simply accept their symptoms and learn to live with them – rather than truly living a full life.
Causes of phobias
Just like other specific phobias, it is thought that the cause of movement phobia comes from one of two factors – genetics or learning.
In addition, it has been argued that in the case of phobias, the way one is exposed to education as a child plays an important role. For this reason, environmental factors and disciplines exposed by an individual during maturation can lead to the emergence of movement phobia.
Self-demand, perfect or rigid educational models can be some of the main factors that create phobias. Similarly, parental patterns of behavior marked by attachment, rigor, and intolerance of failure can also lead to a strong fear of mistakes and imperfections.
Unlike other phobias, motor phobias may be closely related to the formation of specific personality types. In this way, the fear of making mistakes can be interpreted as an anxious response, or it can come from a pattern of behavior—a way of being and a fixed personality type.
This axiom can be demonstrated in the reaction to the disorder, that is, in surgery triggered by the fear of imperfection. On the other hand, it is also difficult to specify the origin of a pathology.
In addition, there is a strong correlation between wanting to be perfect and burnout. Perfectionist concerns, associated with fear and skepticism about individual performance and achievement, can lead to burnout.
That's why it's important to practice self-care and know your limits. To avoid burnout, you should try to be realistic about your expectations, which can be very difficult for people with movement phobia.
It's important to realize that striving for perfection can actually hinder your ability to go all in. Seeking help from a mental health professional can help you learn the skills to control perfectionist behavior.