Fear of life

Fear of life symptoms

Many patients easily become anxious and think too much, even about small problems. This often goes on for several days, they become increasingly listless and feel depressed, and physical symptoms such as trembling or high blood pressure can occur at the same time. Small things are often enough, such as a family member being late or complaining of pain, to trigger the anxiety. Those affected then quickly become agitated and imagine the worst things. They tell themselves that something has happened and then find it difficult to calm down again. Some don’t answer the phone at all for fear of bad news and avoidance behavior sets in. The fear of an accident in which they themselves or close relatives are involved is so great that they no longer drive themselves or even refuse to get into another person’s car. Waiting for the results of a medical examination can also lead to excessive anxiety. Those affected are often even aware that their reactions are exaggerated. An example of this is the fear of a heart attack in a young and healthy person. Although the possibility of such an event exists, it is extremely low.
People who are afraid of life are worried about the future. They feel at the mercy of their fate and depression often accompanies the illness. There is scientific disagreement as to whether fear of life triggers depression or whether the depression causes the anxiety disorder. After all, those who are afraid of life live with constant worry. This chronic anxiety understandably leads to depression, which can eventually turn into severe depression.
Anxiety about life is a disorder characterized by chronic, uncontrollable worries and anxious expectations, which often manifest themselves in the form of chains of thoughts and can relate to different events or activities.
Anxiety becomes a constant companion in life and consequences seem unavoidable. Those affected find themselves in (often important) situations in which they do not know how to react because they are paralyzed by anxiety. In other moments, too much attention is paid to the fear. Their thoughts only revolve around their own fear and what bad things might happen. Beautiful and special moments are no longer noticed and things that used to bring joy are no longer done.

Fear of life leads to an impairment of the ability to live, as the fears cannot be controlled or pushed aside. As the person focuses their full attention on the sources of their anxiety, they are often no longer able to fulfill social or professional obligations. Anxiety is usually focused on specific life circumstances, such as unnecessary worries about one’s finances or the health of a loved one. The way in which anxiety manifests itself – the specific symptoms – varies greatly between individuals. Physical symptoms include muscle tension, easy fatigue, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, irritability and sleep disorders. The psychological symptoms include a distorted perception of the environment and oneself. It becomes particularly critical when the sufferer becomes so absorbed in their own anxiety that a fear of death develops.

People who are afraid of life often find it more difficult to accept that there is no “general safety”. They react very sensitively to stimuli that arise in (in their opinion) potentially dangerous situations. Events and moments that can be both harmless and threatening tend to be judged as bad.
Many of those affected assume that they can protect themselves and their loved ones from accidents simply by worrying. This is based on the idea that if they worry prophylactically, they will not be surprised if something bad actually happens.

Many of those affected also suffer from the “fear of fear”. To overcome this, it is therefore important to allow the fear and learn to deal with the feelings that arise.