Are you a habitual procrastinator? Do you often worry about what other people think? Do you often doubt your capabilities? If you answered yes to even one of these questions, you might suffer from atychiphobia. Read on for more information and a convenient and effective method to overcome the negative effects that come with it.
What is atychiphobia?
Atychiphobia is the fear of failure. It is known to activate just before you try something new or take some sort of risk for your betterment. If not handled properly, you will self-sabotage any efforts you make or completely avoid the steps you need to take to achieve what you want out of life. It can even cause you to miss taking advantage of opportunities that present themselves to you. If all of this is not enough, people with atychiphobia often cite symptoms such as stress or discontent. If this describes you, you’re not alone. A considerable percentage of the world population is affected with atychiphobia.
Fear not: it’s possible to overcome atychiphobia and live a successful, fulfilling life. Here are three steps that you can take starting today.
1. Redefine failure
When you find your atychiphobia kicking in, take some time to reflect on your definition of failure. What’s the worst thing that could happen in this situation? How would you feel? How would others react? Get all of your worst fears out on paper. Then, it’s time to rewrite this story.
When you redefine failure, you change the way you look at it. In other words, you break away from the idea that failure as a negative thing. Instead, you will look at the situation with a positive mindset. I know, this sounds crazy. How could failure ever be a positive thing? Here’s the truth that every successful person knows: failure is one of the best learning experiences you can get. While the saying “fail fast, fail often” has come under attack in the past few years, its wisdom is timeless. It’s okay to fail. In fact, it’s expected. Failure is how you learn what doesn’t work. Failure is what ultimately sets you up for success. While everyone would love to be successful the first time in all endeavors, chances are if that’s the case for you, you’ve set your bar too low.
2. Be kind to yourself
Another effective way to overcome atychiphobia is by being kind to yourself. Lack of confidence is one of the biggest predictors of atychiphobia, and there’s often no harsher critic than yourself. When you hear your negative internal critic getting started, find a way to stop the tape. Acknowledge the voice, thank it for trying to protect you, and invite it kindly but firmly to step back and let you handle this one.
Self kindness isn’t just limited to when you’re actively afraid of failure. It can be done proactively as well. Take stock of those things you’ve done in your past that you’re not proud of and do what needs to be done to forgive yourself. When you make a mistake in the future, find a way to be as gracious towards yourself as you would be towards someone else who made the same mistake. This is called self-empathy, and it’s critical to being self-assured and successful.
3. Get to know yourself
Treating yourself with friendly curiosity is another effective method for overcoming atychiphobia. The act of asking and then answering your own questions will enable you to understand how you are feeling and why you are reacting in certain ways. For example, if you’re feeling intense shame or embarrassment when you make a mistake, take a moment to explore your reaction. Here is a list of some of the questions that you can ask to get you started:
- Is there something I can learn from this mistake?
- If this situation were to have a silver lining, what would it be?
- What would I say to someone who made this same mistake?
The answers that you come up with have the ability to provide the strength and empathy you need to overcome atychiphobia.
What other effective ways have you discovered to overcome your fear of failure?