Ergophobia: what is it and how to get rid of it?

Fear of the work process, responsibility, employment in a new place makes some people to avoid professional activities. Sometimes an unjustified exaggeration of the potential danger begins, and then the fear gradually develops into a phobia. To begin treatment, it is necessary to understand the causes of the fear of work.

An overwhelming fear of doing work that requires certain skills, knowledge, skills and professionalism is called ergophobia. The word is translated from Greek as "fear of work" (from the Greek ergon work + phobos fear). It is sometimes referred to as ergosiophobia.

Some believe that fear of work arises from elementary laziness. This is not true. A phobia from laziness is distinguished by an increase in unexplained anxiety before completing an assignment due to the fear of doing something wrong. It greatly complicates people's lives. But it should not be ruled out that some lazy people cover up their idleness with ergophobia.

Fear of work provokes serious mental disorders from the category of anxiety disorders. Their objects can be:

• panic horror, which, before completing a task, programs a person for failure in advance;
• an increased sense of responsibility for their activities gives rise to the fear of looking for a new job or complicates staying at your enterprise;
• Change of team, leadership, if necessary, to move to another organization causes great concern.

Phobia can manifest itself in the form of unexplained mild excitement, as well as reaching a panic attack... Pathological fear often comes in waves.With the loss of chances to get a prestigious job, a person succumbs to panic, which sometimes leads the loser to a vagrant lifestyle. Ergophobia can lead to the acquisition of alcohol or drug addiction. A person is gradually slipping to the social bottom.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder depletes the nervous system. The motivation to work is declining. Fear of loss of livelihood appears. Against this background, the employee ceases to cope with his duties. This is especially true for people whose professional activities are fraught with danger to health and life, as well as, if necessary, the utmost concentration of attention.

Fear of work can arise in women and men who have a job and have never worked in production before. Any psychological disorder needs a boost. The emergence exaggerated excitement and intense anxiety about work activity may be due to the following factors.

• Most often, ergophobia is rooted in deep childhood. An inability to take criticism can develop due to the constant nagging of parents and unfair criticism. Merciless criticism of the mother or father often leads to mental disorders. Over time, the feeling of guilt for one's own imperfection, the fear of making even the slightest mistake develops into a fear of professional activity.
• Low self-esteem leads to self-examination, harsh analysis of actions, negative conclusions, blaming oneself for all sins.
• The very first job often instills fear in a person. He is frightened by insufficient knowledge, lack of experience, possible ridicule of others over possible failures. A young specialist feels self-doubt: is he doing the job of his superiors correctly, is he clearly following the job descriptions.
• The device to a new place is frightening in its unknown. Insufficient knowledge of future job responsibilities, doubts about their own strengths and capabilities, fear of the new bosses give rise to a feeling of hopelessness. Sometimes the reason for fear can be the dismissal from the previous place of work on the initiative of the management, reduction of the staff unit.
• Past negative job search experiences can also cause mild anxiety to degenerate into obsessive-compulsive disorder. Refusal to find a job is deeply stored in memory and after a while manifests itself in the form of a phobia.
• Long work experience at a permanent place of activity does not guarantee the absence of a phobia. Self-critical and highly responsible people are afraid that they will not be able to complete the task by the appointed time. They are afraid to fulfill the order not at the proper level. Sometimes systematic checks, daily reporting, constant supervision by the boss lead to a phobia of fear of work. Disgust at work can be caused by horror at the screaming of a manager.
• The fear of starting professional duties after the decree arises from the fear of the loss of certain skills and abilities, the emergence of new technologies that were previously impossible to master. Often, anxiety begins to torment because of a possible failure, a potential feeling of shame, if suddenly a person cannot cope with an assignment.
• The resulting occupational injury gives rise to fears of a repetition of the situation. Someone behaves more cautiously, while others begin to fear the work process.
• Depression, sleep disturbances, mental or physical fatigue, side effects from medications are sometimes the cause of phobias.
• Ergophobia can result in poor team relationships.Fear of criticism, caustic remarks, insults, humiliation and sidelong glances makes staying at the workplace a hard labor.
• There are people in whom ergophobia stems directly from social phobia.

Some find it difficult to start working at the enterprise after a long break, especially to go to work after the end of a regular or maternity leave, or a long illness.

Constant internal tension before performing their immediate duties, panic fear due to the likelihood of a call to the authorities, fear of dismissal and loss of income turns a person's life into a nightmare. The quality of the work performed begins to suffer. Experiences can intensify due to the assigned new business, which is characterized by increased complexity.

The phobic manifestation of the disease is observed on the mental and physical levels. It is difficult for a person to cope with psychological problems on his own:

• excessive anxiety;
• expectation of negative events;
• loss of self-control and composure;
• the desire to cry and hide;
• nightmares;
• lack of confidence in their own strengths and capabilities;
• pessimistic outlook on the future;
• unreasonable self-criticism.

Ergophobes have the following physiological symptoms:

• cardiopalmus;
• lack of air;
• increased sweating;
• severe dizziness;
• migraine;
• foggy eyes;
• a feeling of unreality of what is happening;
• indistinctness of thought and speech;
• general weakness, lethargy;
• nausea;
• shiver;
• blanching of the skin;
• numbness of the body;
• chills;
• hot flashes;
• fainting;
• deterioration of the general condition.

Wanting to hide their feelings and take control of unexplained anxiety, a person may temporarily hide the symptoms from others.

It is very difficult to overcome the disease on your own. The eradication of a phobia must begin with the appearance of the first symptoms. Modern science offers many interesting techniques for displacing ergophobia with positive emotions. Complex treatment helps well: auto trainings, cognitive therapy, meditation, relaxation and medications.

Only an experienced specialist will help you overcome your fear of work and adapt to existing realities. It is necessary to contact a professional psychotherapist who is able to find an individual approach to each client.

For young ergophobes who have not previously worked, the specialist will increase their self-esteem, eliminate existing complexes. The psychotherapist's efforts are directed towards finding hidden childhood grievances, traumas and other causes of pathological self-doubt.

If a person did not experience any suffering before going to work, then we are talking about acquired psychological disorders at a conscious age. This will require a change in attitude towards the events that have occurred and the elimination of the formed attitude towards excessive responsibility, unreasonable excitement or a traumatic situation.

A person can help himself by changing his attitude to fear. Self-administered self-meditations at home can help build self-esteem and build confidence. It is necessary to come up with a favorable scenario for a situation that causes horror at the mere recollection of it. It is necessary to be afraid of work to take control. It would be nice to enlist the support of loved ones.

An analysis of the unpleasant events that have occurred should always be done. The search for mistakes of one's own behavior, which led to flaws, and the elimination of them must be accompanied by faith in oneself and a positive attitude towards the future.

Negative thoughts about work should be avoided in every possible way, replacing the memory of pleasant and useful moments of activity... It is advisable to throw out of your head all your fears associated with work, not to think about them, but to go into the future with positive emotions.

A contrast shower is a great stress management method. Breathing exercises are available to everyone. It is necessary to inhale and exhale fully. Breathing on exhalation should be slightly delayed.

Exercise is a great distraction from negative thoughts. Psychotherapists recommend doing squats and push-ups.

Drug treatment is strictly prescribed by the psychotherapist and under his supervision. It does not completely eradicate the problem. Plus, most drugs are addictive. When drugs are canceled, the phobia returns.

It is necessary to treat the disorder with medication in the acute stage of the manifestation of the phobia. Sedatives advise to normalize sleep. Antidepressants protect against the onset of severe depression. Tranquilizers prescribed for neurosis of obsessions. Metabolic processes of the central nervous system stop nootropic drugs... To strengthen the nervous system, psychotherapists recommend the use of vitamins of group B.

There are special trainings that teach you how to work through your fears. Before that, you need to learn how to control your own emotions, bring your breathing back to normal and fully relax.

Breathing exercises involve taking deep breaths in and out. At the moment of inhalation, it is desirable to imagine the fragrant aroma of a flower. During a prolonged exhalation, one must vividly imagine the process of blowing out a lighted candle, located about a meter from a person.

Relaxation techniques:

• acupuncture stimulates acupuncture points on the body, increasing vitality, as well as regulating blood pressure, hormones and processes in the human central nervous system;
• electrosleep activates the processes of inhibition in the cerebral cortex, which helps to normalize the functioning of the nervous system and relieve mental stress;
• manual relaxing massage through the perception of the skin and muscles leads to inhibition and complete relaxation of the central nervous system, which has a positive effect on the activity of the whole organism.

Psychotherapeutic conversations, individual consultations and group sessions are aimed at eliminating the fear of any kind of activity.

Gestalt therapy increases understanding of the fullness and meaningfulness of life, helps to improve contact with the outside world and the people around you. Psychotherapists often use a monodrama called the "empty chair" method. The patient should imagine that the boss is sitting next to him. From time to time, a psychotherapist can intervene in communication with an imaginary leader, focusing on something important, asking questions and directing the conversation in the right direction.

The strengthening of a holistic personal image is followed by the development of individual independence. Attention is focused on their own needs, the realization of their dreams and hobbies. It is necessary to realize that you should look for a job to your liking, in which the talent of the individual will fully unfold.

For some patients, the specialist offers hypnotic sessions. The patient is put into a trance state for a short time. A complete blackout and activation of the subconscious mind corrects horrific thoughts. The person is reprogrammed for potential work success and a desire to work. The technique is suitable only for people who are good at hypnosis.

The hypnologist directs the psyche in the right direction. After completing a full course of hypnosis, the fear gradually dissipates, ergophobia is replaced by a positive attitude to work. With the help of hypnosis, it is quite possible to eliminate the manifestation of a phobia and completely solve the problem.

A personal approach to each ergophobia sufferer speeds up recovery. The task of the therapist is not to harm the patient. After all, a person's condition can develop into clinical depression. In this case, additional treatment will be required.