Spiders, needles, germs, heights 鈥 these are all common fears. But there's one that quietly grips more people than you might expect: metathesiophobia 鈥 the fear of change. While it may not be as visible as a panic over spiders or as dramatic as a fear of heights, the fear of change can be just as paralyzing, influencing decisions, stalling progress, and quietly holding people back.
Change can feel like standing on the edge of a diving board. It鈥檚 scary but thrilling if you take that leap.
鈥淭he fear of the unknown can create a feeling of anxiety,鈥 said Dr. David Ludden, 亚洲麻豆精品在线鈥檚 (GGC) professor of psychology and chair of the psychology department. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 12.5% of adults experience some type of phobia in their lifetime.
While change goes back to the beginning of time, the pace from then to now continues to accelerate. Consider the automobile, said Ludden. Just over 100 years ago it was accepted as a widely used means of transportation.
鈥淭oday, it鈥檚 all about technology,鈥 he said. 鈥淔or example, take our cell phones. Something as simple as getting a new phone can cause anxiety and frustration. I just bought a new one and I鈥檝e had to learn how to use it all over again. It functions differently and has features that I鈥檓 getting used to.鈥
Change, added Ludden, isn鈥檛 a bad thing.
鈥淢ost change is for the better when you think about it,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he transition can be rough, but once you get past that, you鈥檒l appreciate how change can make things better.鈥
Fear aside, part of the challenge with change is people tend to resist it.
鈥淚t鈥檚 common to hear about the 鈥榞ood old days鈥 and how great it was then,鈥 said Ludden. 鈥淗owever, many times that is a nostalgic, romanticized view of how things actually were.鈥
Both Ludden and his wife are avid readers.
鈥淢y wife has rows of books on shelves in our house,鈥 he said. 鈥淎nd she asks me why I don鈥檛 read anymore. I tell her I read just as much, only on a screen.鈥
Like it or not, change happens.
鈥淭he idea of change can trigger negative reactions like anxiety,鈥 said Ludden. 鈥淎ccepting that change is going to happen is a good first step. It鈥檚 part of what helps you grow personally. Many times, it鈥檚 not as bad as you imagined it would be.鈥
In the end, Ludden said change is inevitable, but how you approach it is what makes the difference.
鈥淚t鈥檚 okay to be afraid of change, but you shouldn鈥檛 let fear rule your life,鈥 he emphasized.