When we talk about some phobias, it is common to hear comments in a humorous tone, but a phobic disorder is not a joke. It occurs, for example, with ergophobia or fear of work, a horrible problem that goes far beyond not liking your job or your boss making your life impossible every morning. Do you want to know what is ergophobia? We tell you everything in our dictionary of phobias .
What is ergophobia
Ergophobia is the fear of work , going to work or the job. It is not something to laugh at, but it is a very limiting disorder that causes real problems in the lives of people who suffer from it, starting with work and economic issues and ending with blurring all areas of life.
Being afraid of work understood as a phobia goes beyond being dissatisfied with your job, that you do not like getting up early, that you are not doing the job of your dreams, that you get paid a pittance, that you do not get along with your coworkers or dreaming of losing sight of your boss. Like any phobia, it always goes further.
Symptoms of ergophobia
Few people like to get up early , at least to go to work, but that does not mean they have ergophobia. This phobia manifests itself every day with a series of reactions that coincide with the most common anxiety symptoms , such as nervousness, dizziness, palpitations, shortness of breath and a panic attack.
To the physical symptoms, psychic symptoms are added that end up leading to self-esteem problems due to that growing feeling of incapacity when facing the working day. The person with ergophobia is aware that his fear is excessive, but he cannot avoid his reactions as if he were in front of a danger.
Causes of ergophobia
But how is it possible to develop this panic at work? Like all phobias , ergophobia finds one of its causes in conditioning by traumatic experience . Having lived a very stressful situation at work with a great emotional load and that has not been overcome may be reason enough for a growing fear to come to work.
But in this fear of work there are other factors that, if they are not always triggers, can increase the problem, such as bullying or a bad work environment or burnout syndrome or burned-out worker. In any case, due to the disastrous consequences of this phobia, it is best to go to a professional as soon as possible.
Treatment of ergophobia
Most phobias lead to avoidance behavior , something that in the case of work is either impossible or causes countless serious problems. So the sooner you seek psychological help to overcome your phobia, the sooner you can regain your quality of personal and professional life.
The most effective therapy to treat phobias is cognitive behavioral therapy , a treatment that leads you to modify avoidance behavior due to fear and transform distorted thoughts that make you see work as a danger. Whichever therapy is chosen, it never hurts to practice relaxation techniques to reduce the effects of anxiety associated with all phobias.
