Topic 5 Specific strategies to handle fears
5.1. Illness/contagion: tolerance
- Both illness and contagion fears should be overcome similarly by tolerating and facing the discomfort and negative feelings they produce. This can be carried out by the person on their own at the beginning of the onset of fears. However, it can be very difficult for the person when the fear is well established, and in these situations a person will probably need a professional help to face their fears.
For some practical tips about how to handle this issues, check out this interesting video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zqx692vcQms
5.2. Death: progressive exposition and cognitive restructuring
- As well as other fears, the fear of death should be overcome with exposition and tolerance to those stimuli associated with death which make the individual feel anxiety. And also, the need to change or make more flexible the negative and irrational thoughts associated with that fear.
Watch this video in which some skills to facing fear of death are described: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWZh5aZh9dc&t=1102s