Unless you are a man/woman defeated with not an ounce of hope or spirit left in him, then chances are you have a fear. It’s different for all of us but we each have our fear and it’s nothing to be embarrassed about because it is a basic instinct inbuilt in each and every one of us to higher our chances of survival and safety. Fear is the basic survival mechanism that occurs in response to a specific stimulus, giving us what is known as the Fight or Flight response. But too much of anything is bad thing and when you have too much fear or more accurately put when you have irrational fear ( a phobia), it just paralyses you from leading a normal and healthy life.
Now I feel all phobias are paralyzing in their own way because they usually make the sufferer want to stay hidden in confinement, but there is one phobia that I am familiar with because a relative of mine suffers from it.
Mysophobia is a term used to describe a pathological fear of contamination and germs and ironically it is this same fear that I think is itself a health hazard to be contended with because they tend to overuse things (disinfectants) and are terrified of anything that was not produced under strict laboratory conditions. Here are some examples of what my mysophobic relative does:
• Empty a can of brand new disinfectant on his pillow should the family dog so much and put his paws on the bed. Never mind that the dog lives indoors and undergoes strict cleanliness regime in order to not give him an anxiety attack.
• Over-use every form of antiseptic from alcohol wipes to tea-tree oil – enough is when the skin begins to peal.
• Firmly believe organic food or fresh food bought directly from the green grocers or the market will kill him.
The list could go on forever but this post isn’t about him. It’s about his condition. Some phobias can be overlooked and taken care of slowly at home, but some like mysophobia should be identified from young and treated because it isn’t just their need to stay in a bubble that is harmful, it is their abuse of cleaning/disinfecting substances that is alarming.
