OUR LIFE

Our life is full of events. It’s a competition to participate from one event to another. From a school-going kid to an adult business person, we need to run & attend programs like meetings, seminars, classrooms to markets.

There is no scope to sit idle in one place. Our livelihood demands us to get on to a vehicle & cover the physical distance between places. So, journeys are an integral part of our life. It can be shorter or longer but none of us can escape it.

 

ACCIDENTS

When there is a day, there is night. If there is a rose, there is thorn along with it. So, when there are journeys or trips from one place to another, there is also an accident.  From minor to major, there are accidents.

An accident is the most unfortunate & life shattering incident for us. It threatens our existence. Fatality has no limits. This is the ultimate truth. No matter how conscious or alert you are, still you can experience an accident.

Numerous times, we have observed that a plane took off well but due to sudden deficiency or glitch, it faces an accident. There are examples of train accidents, bus accidents of all kinds in almost every country.

As the name says, an accident is something that we have no control over. People try their level best to avoid an accident still sometimes this happens.

 

FEAR OF ACCIDENTS – DYSTYCHIPHOBIA

Now, as we have seen, accidents are those mishaps in our life that change us forever. Once we have faced an accident down the road & survived a strong fear of accidents sets in the mind perpetually. Sometimes we can control this fear, sometimes we just can’t.

For some people this fear of accidents is so severe that they lose their sense & breakdown totally when they think of a journey or when someone dear to them is taking a flight or bus or a train. They are the people suffering from extreme fear of accidents. This fear of phobia is known as  Dystychiphobia.

People with this phobia are always more than conscious & cautious about traveling or trips to take. Not because they want to enjoy the scene from a window seat, because they are extremely afraid of accidents. They continuously feel that there will be an accident. They will lose their lives or will get severely damaged for the rest of their lives.

This fear is so acute that they lose their mental peace. Even if they are tired of a monotonous life & his or her friends are planning a tour, they choose staying at home instead of going with friends. Why? Because they fear that they will face accidents.

 

MOST COMMON SIGNS OF DYSTYCHIPHOBIA

So, how to identify this Dystychiphobia? What are the most observed or common symptoms or signs of this phobia? Let’s reveal:

 

GETTING PALE:

One of the major signs of dystychiphobia is to turn or get pale as soon as you think of traveling. That traveling could be for an emergency or a regular one; it does not reduce the fear. They turn white. This sudden change is visible in their face. It’s like if they travel or make a move by any transport, an accident is bound to occur.

 

LOSING TRACK:

People with dystychiphobia lose the track of conversation when they are tensed about any travel or transport. They suddenly stop responding & start thinking of some horrible visuals of blood & gore & fractures. They are so frightened that they can’t respond to a running conversation properly once the fear sets in.

 

CHANGE IN BLOOD PRESSURE:

Change in blood pressure is another indicator or symptom of dystychiphobia. When they visualize accidents & its effects their physical condition changes rapidly. Sometimes, they feel a severe headache & fall down. There is pain near their neck. This phobia unsettles them. With such symptoms, a check on blood pressure is extremely necessary.

 

SWEATING:

When they think about the probable accidents they start to sweat. Their bodies tremble causing faint in extreme cases. The thing is, they just can’t take the travel experience or the concept of getting into a vehicle in a positive way. All they think – if they get into a bus, it will collide with another! If they take a flight, the plane will crash! It’s all those visuals of hue & cry makes them sweat & tremble in fear.

 

RESTLESSNESS:

Once dystychiphobia sets in, they become restless. This restlessness is shown in their activities. They just can’t find peace in any situation. They keep changing their positions. Sometimes they sit in a corner, then after a few minutes they start to walk without any focus.

 

TRYING HARD TO AVOID A TRIP:

As they fear the thought of getting on to a bus or train or any vehicle, they try their best to avoid the journey or trip. They are anything but comfortable with a journey. So when there is any plan of going somewhere they try their best to avoid this. This tendency to avoid unreal or invalid causes shows their phobia.

 

BREATHING PROBLEM:

In some extreme cases, when the fear of accidents consumes them totally & they lose the ability to think logically or clearly, there comes breathing problems. They can’t breathe properly. They feel suffocated & need medical care to breathe properly.

 

TALKING NEGATIVE ONLY:

Dystychiphobia makes people talk about the negative outcome of journeys only. As they know they have the extreme fear of accidents, they try to prove their point by discussing the negative sides only. This way they want to validate their point.

 

HIGHLIGHTING MINOR & PAST MISHAPS:

Sometimes there is a minor accident faced by someone but it leaves a permanent mark in the survivor’s mind. Due to this, they become dystychiphobic in certain cases. They fall prey to procrastination. They maximize & overestimate a minor past experience & decide never to travel or make a trip.

 

NIGHTMARES:

As these people are prone to think about the fatalities caused by accidents, they can’t even sleep properly as they experience nightmares. Even in their dreams they repeatedly face accidents & wake up trembling & sweating.

 

MINOR SIGNS OF DYSTYCHIPHOBIA

Apart from this, there are other symptoms of dystychiphobia. There are people who have this fear but they pretend to be the opposite. This particular group of people feels embarrassed to admit this phobia in public. So, they show subtle excuses to cancel any trip that their friends might organize.

For example, they will never say that they are afraid of the accidents but they will try to defer any plan by saying – “I really wish to go with you, but you know my family won’t allow me” or “I know it would be a lot of fun but you know I have already committed to be at some other place already!”

 

TIPS TO OVERCOME DYSTYCHIPHOBIA

So, how to deal with this dystychiphobia? Is dystychiphobia curable? Some suggestions are shared here-

• A positive shift is essential to make in the thought process.
• Talking to the dearest friend helps reduce the helplessness.
• For a wholesome guidance, a psychiatrist’s consultancy is the best option.
• One needs to accept the uncertainty of life.
• Focus should be on taking precautions rather than simply worrying.
• Believing that all past experiences will not yield the same outcome can reduce the fear.

 

ENDING REMARK

Dystychiphobia is real & people living with it know how severe the impact is. They have to sacrifice & change their priorities of life due to this fear of accidents. Sometimes, there is a change in the office location that may require long distance to cover. Most people will find it difficult yet continue with this new condition if the job is paying well. They prioritize their career & adjust with every other desire. But people with dystychiphobia will leave the job prioritizing their fear & disregarding their career!

But having said that, this is also true – this phobia is curable. It is absolutely curable. This feeling of fear of accidents is a mental condition. it calls for a special consideration. A lot of certified psychologists & psychiatrists are there who are especially skilled at taking care of this issue.

So the thing is, if you feel dystychiphobia, do not sit idle or block your life, come forward. It is always good to reach out to people. Human beings are kind. Any minor problem becomes a major problem if left untreated. There is absolutely no shame in feeling any kind of phobia. If there is a phobia, there is a cure.