Psychology Facts

▲ Atychiphobia ▲

》 Also known as atychiphobia, fear of failure is a phobia characterised by the inability to attempt any goal that is not a guaranteed success.

》 Atychiphobia is said to affect between 2%-5% of the population (Penn State, 2015).

》 Individuals coping with Atychiphobia mainly fear failure because they lack confidence in their abilities.

》 Phobias like atychiphobia can be so extreme that they completely paralyze you, making it difficult to carry on with your tasks at home, school, or work. You may even miss out on important opportunities in your life, both personally and professionally.

》 Physical symptoms may include:

difficulty breathing

unusually fast heart rate

tightness or pain in your chest

trembling or shaking sensations

dizziness or lightheadedness

digestive distress

hot or cold flashes

sweating

》 Emotional symptoms may include:

intense feeling of panic or anxiety

overwhelming need to escape a situation that produces the fear

feeling detached from yourself

feeling like you've lost control over a situation
thinking that you may die or pass out

generally feeling powerless over your fear

》 In general, you may be more likely to develop atychiphobia if:

you have past experiences where you've failed, especially if the experiences were traumatic or had important consequences, like missing out on an important job

you've learned to fear failing through different situations

you're a perfectionist

》 There's also the possibility that watching someone else fail has contributed to your phobia. This situation is called "observational learning experience." For example, if you grew up with a caregiver who was afraid of failing, it may make you more likely to feel the same.

》 following tips for learning to cope with fear of

Redefine what it takes to fail. Many successful people believe that the only way to truly fail is to give up on your goal.

Adopt the belief that there is no failure, only feedback. That way any undesirable outcomes are opportunities to learn and get better.

Watch or read stories of those people you admire. In virtually all cases they will have experienced huge failures on their road to success.

Swap perfection for progress. In many cases those that have a fear of failure have unrealistic expectations of what it means to succeed. By focussing on progress you have lots of victories and opportunities to learn and reduce your ability to fail.

First, it's essential to understand why you fear to fail in the first place? What do you think will happen if you fail? Why do you think that you will fail and not succeed?

Sit comfortably, take a deep breath, and think about it. Most of the times, our fears are exaggerated. Observing them will help you be clear about your situation.

Is there even something dangerous to be afraid of, or is your mind just over-reacting?

》 Trials and difficulties in life make us stronger and build our character.

This does not imply that you should look out for failures, but whenever you fail, you are also gaining knowledge by learning something and getting a glimpse of the right path.

Failure will teach you control and give you a chance for self-growth. Temporary defeats will point out the areas where you lack and need improvement in. Failure is the best teacher.
Learning from mistakes will make you more mature and a better person.