Saturday afternoon, your nephews have just left your house, there are no more children running around in the hallway, no more fights between them. How nice it is to be alone! you think. On the other hand, for other people the mere thought of having to stay home alone terrifies them and causes autophobia.
What is autophobia?
It can be defined as a irrational and persistent fear of oneself or to one's own thoughts and emotions. A variant of this disorder focuses specifically on the fear of lonelinessshowing a feeling of anguish and discomfort in situations in which the person is alone.
According to psychologist Marta Foix, «autophobia arises as a defensive response to the fear of not meeting one's own expectations» when a person is alone and can analyze everything that happens around them.
Fears encompass many aspects, and are not only related to having or not having a partner. There is the fear of being alone at home, fear of not fitting in with a group of people or, as we said, fear of not finding a partner. All of this leads to an excessive fear of loneliness and of facing that moment.
Causes of autophobia
Marta Foix, a psychologist specialising in anxiety disorders, points out that «autophobia can have roots in early emotional traumas that generate a feeling of insecurity and distrust towards one's own being.»
Hence, the traumas of the pastare one of the causes of a person developing autophobia. In addition, the fear of knowing oneself and not meeting expectations, leading to being alone, comes from low self-esteem.
When a person develops a low self-esteem This is because people haven't worked on it since they were little. Thoughts like «I'm not going to be good enough for someone» or «I'm not what was expected of me» fuel autophobia, as the person who suffers from it is afraid of facing their own negative beliefs.
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If the fear of loneliness is a problem in your life, do not hesitate to make an appointment with a psychologist who will give you strategies to overcome it.
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Symptoms of autophobia
- Fear of loneliness. Facing one's own thoughts and emotions when one is alone brings with it a fear of how one will handle the situation.
- Excessive self-criticismAutophobia is characterized by constant and sometimes ruthless self-criticism. People who suffer from it judge themselves harshly, feeling incapable of accepting and forgiving themselves.
- The person suffering from autophobia, avoid introspectionself-reflection, or any activity that allows you to uncover your own thoughts and emotions.
- Emotional dependence from other people, feeling that if they lack them, they will not have the protection that they do feel when they are with someone.
- Avoid any situation that involves being alone or not carry out activities that many people do independently and without anyone accompanying them.
- In friendships, relationships, or family relationships, there are times when toxicity reigns. Although this is negative, people with autophobia are able to endure it as long as they are not alone.
- Constantly thinking that being alone is a bad thing can lead to anxiety symptoms and thus, for example, lower performance at work.
Online therapy to overcome the fear of being alone, the key to overcome it
When autophobia represents a loss in your quality of life, online therapy will be key to overcoming it.
Through different strategies, online therapy to deal with phobias will be effective.
- Resort to the cognitive behavioral therapy It will be useful to change those negative thought patterns that can generate fear of loneliness.
- Working in the strengthening self-esteem It will also be key to overcoming the fear of loneliness. Accepting weaknesses and developing a compassionate attitude towards oneself, since being afraid is not a bad thing, you just have to work on it so that it does not become a burden in your daily life.
- Learning to enjoy solitude will be another of the strategies on which the psychologist bases the therapy. The person with autophobia has to see loneliness as an opportunity for personal growth and self-discovery. Through practice activities alone how exercising and meditating can help change the negative perception of loneliness.
- Gradual exposure to loneliness. To do this, it is important that little by little, the person with the fear of loneliness faces situations in which he has to be alone. This helps to desensitize the person to the fear and to gain confidence in the ability to be alone, since it is not as bad as the person thinks.
If you experience fear of loneliness, do not hesitate to seek the support of a mental health professional. Empower yourself and enjoy solitude as a weapon for personal growth.
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