Xenophobia is an irrational feeling of fear experienced by a person or a group of people, as well as events that are viewed as bizarre or foreign. It’s the fear of anything beyond one’s comfort zone.
All in all, Xenophobia derives from the Greek word ‘Xenos’ meaning ‘foreigner or stranger’ and Phobos meaning ‘morbid fear.’
The fear of the unknown comes in a number of ways. A person may not be afraid of swimming pools, but he may have great fear when he sees a dark lake. The fact that he/she doesn’t see the bottom of the lake is a source of the fear of the unknown. Such feelings may overwhelm a person to the point that his or her daily life and activities are hampered by it.
Causes of fear:
The variety of different attitudes and triggers could lead to fear of the unknown. This phobia also goes hand in hand with fear of loss, fear of death, and so on.
- Past experience, the death of someone near or dear, divorce, a change of lifestyle can all result to fear of the unknown.
- The fear of the unknown is also evolutionary in that; man has often felt uneasy regarding something he is unaware of. Most of the people don’t like change. In the case of Xenophobia, the person is not in a position to combat his or her insecurity. S / he simply can not cope with being unable to feel stability and safety.
- A child who was always instructed by parents to oppose or combat change, or an unusual circumstance, is also likely to turn frightened toward the unknown.
Symptoms of Xenophobia
We all tend to worry about dealing with a lifestyle change, starting a new job, etc. We accept that they are facts of life. However, for a phobic, day-to-day life can become very difficult due to persistent fear.
Like most other specific and social phobias, the fear of the unknown is also marked by many physical and emotional symptoms:
- Rapid heart rate or palpitation.
- Dry mouth, a shallow breath.
- Full panic blew at the thought of the unknown or the stranger.
- Feeling anxious, trying to run away or avoiding a situation that requires a change, or facing strangers or strangers.
- Crying, shaking, shaking, throwing, fainting, etc. are a few more symptoms of a xenophobic individual.
Overcoming the fear of the unknown phobia
People with Xenophobia are unable to enjoy life. Their anxiety is constant as a result of which they may not be able to enjoy their daily activities or develop healthy relationships.
- Drugs and medications should help solve depressive thoughts and reduce panic attacks to a certain degree. After all, most of them are addictive and may cause severe side effects.
- Meditation and altering one’s thoughts and imagination are more valuable remedies, and they are long-lasting.
- Experts often recommend focusing one ‘s mind on goals instead of allowing negative experiences to be sidetracked.
- It is very necessary to remove negative feelings with all that is weird and unknown in order to restore mental and physical peace.
Reference: https://www.fearof.net/fear-of-the-unknown-phobia-xenophobia/
