Fear of failure; neither is it uncommon nor unheard of. Most people have faced this fear at least once in their lifetime, if not more!
People experience it over a spectrum from mild to severe. It becomes an issue of concern when it starts to cause significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
Phobias are irrational fears related to a particular object or situation. Atychiphobia refers to an irrational and persistent fear of failing. It stops the individual from working and sometimes even starting to work on their goals as they are afraid of failing. This fear can mentally paralyze an individual leading to loss of opportunities in personal and professional life.
Atychiphobia follows the same diagnostic criteria as specific phobias. Additional symptoms include self-sabotage, procrastination, low self-esteem, reluctance in trying new things, failure to follow through with goals etc. Past experiences, conditioning, perfectionist tendencies are a few factors that might be contributing to your fear of failure. It can also be a part of other mental health conditions, for example – anxiety disorder, mood disorder or eating disorder. An individual suffering from fear of failure would prefer people and even themselves to believe that they lack effort rather than ability.
Psychotherapy and certain lifestyle changes can lead to effective results and improve the quality of life. Lifestyle changes that the individual can make on their own include –
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Mindfulness exercises
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Meditation
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Relaxation techniques like JPMR
Which will help in managing the anxiety symptoms when in situations that might trigger fear of failure, & even in general.
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Maintaining a Thought-feeling log
To monitor one’s thoughts & feelings that in turn will lead to greater self-awareness and may also reveal the roots of this fear; how it developed, what conditions/aspects (environmental/person) are still fueling it, specific triggers etc.
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Redefine failure and success
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Take note of worst-case scenarios (when dealing with fear of failure in a particular situation, this helps confront your fear by asking the question “what’s the worst that can happen”) and have a contingency plan.
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Transform approach from result-oriented to process-oriented.
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Breaking big goals into small ones.
Seeking help from a Mental Health Professional in case of significant distress is crucial & cannot be replaced through other techniques.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal; It is the courage to continue that counts”.
~ Winston Churchill
The courage to continue/the struggle is where learning happens and that’s what leads to success eventually.
Importance of Professional Counseling: A friend or family member may listen to you, but they aren’t professionally, technically qualified or experienced to offer you professional advice. If you wish you can contact us at MindTribe to receive help from our team of expert psychologists.
About MindTribe.in.
MindTribe Founder Dr. Prerna Kohli, India’s eminent psychologist, established the company to leverage the strength of the online to make counseling affordable and accessible to everyone. MindTribe provides counseling, workshops, support groups, forums, and eLearning.
About the Author.
Aarushi Panwar is a counselor at MindTribe.in. You can learn more about her by clicking here
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MindTribe.in, the Founders, or management team.
Acknowledgement: All images used are open source and from Unsplash.