Do you find that you are terrified of failing, perhaps to the point that you give things you want only minimal effort, or you don’t even try at all? If so, you might be affected by atychiphobia. The good news is this: you now have a name for it, and you can now start the road to overcoming it.

What is atychiphobia?

Atychiphobia is, simply put, the fear of failure. Before attempting something, a person who experiences atychiphobia will start to feel feelings of doubt set in. As a result, they will find ways of passively or actively avoiding the steps they need to take to achieve their goals in life. It sounds dramatic, but take a critical look at your own behaviors. Do you ever procrastinate on a project that is important to you, say, online dating? Or, can you name a few goals you have set for yourself that intimidate you?

If you see signs of either passive or active self-sabotage in your own life, you’re not alone. A considerable percentage of the world population is affected with atychiphobia. And while the fear is one thing, not pushing past the fear can cause you to miss some really great opportunities. This will leave a person feeling stressed, upset, or like a failure. And the spiral continues.

So how does a person overcome atychiphobia? Here are some of the most effective and useful methods that you can follow.

1. Redefine failure

When you come across a situation that is sparking your feelings of atychiphobia, it’s time to pause and redefine failure away from something negative towards something more positive. How is that possible? Ask anyone who has accomplished great things and they will tell you: failure is one of the best learning experiences that a person can experience. When you change your viewpoint of failure, you will not be too scared to experience it. And if you embrace your failures and the learning that comes with them, you will be securely on the road to success.

2. Always be kind to yourself

Being kind to yourself- or, at least, course correcting when you catch yourself being harsh- is another effective method for overcoming atychiphobia. The reason this is so important? Being hard on yourself leads to a lack of confidence, and it’s the lack of confidence that is one of the main causes of atychiphobia. So, instead of criticizing yourself when you make a mistake, try instead to treat yourself with sympathy. Along with that, you should figure out why you find it necessary to be hard on yourself. When you are in a position to understand why you are so harsh, you will have the wisdom you need to break the pattern.

3. Ask a lot of questions

While redefining failure and being kind to yourself are two common ways to get at your fear of failure, there are likely other reasons you’re afraid as well. To get to the heart of these other reasons, take the time to ask yourself a some questions the next time you experience failure. The questions you ask should be designed to move you away from your emotions of shame and frustration, towards a more logical, positive approach. Examples of questions might be, “how am I feeling?” and “what is this bringing up for me?” The more in touch you are with what’s going on with you presently and their roots in your past experiences, the better equipped you are to handle feelings of failure in the future.

Feelings of atychiphobia never truly go away. As such, doing the hard work around the feelings should never be with the intention of “getting rid of” them, but instead learning how to handle them when they arise. If you’re prepared for when you feel them the most, and if you know how to take care of yourself when they do, you will be in great shape to acknowledge them and move on without sabotaging yourself. In short, you’ll be able to become the successful person you are meant to be!