There are all kinds of fear. Everyone is anxious sometimes. For example, some people suffer from fear of heights. And some people are afraid of water. people can therefore be anxious in all kinds of situations.
Fear
Fear as a warning
Sometimes fear has a purpose. For example, if you are afraid of an accident or danger. Your body reacts to threatening situations. Suppose you are crossing a road and suddenly see a car coming towards you. You now have to be able to think and react very quickly. That costs extra energy. Your body therefore quickly produces a number of hormones to help the body act better and faster. Hormones are substances secreted by glands in the body and have an irritating effect on a number of organs. They speed up your heart rate and breathing, they increase your blood pressure and make you sweat. They stimulate the muscles to take action. The same hormones ensure that the brain also works better. This allows you to think better and faster. In the case of an approaching car, that means deciding to run away as quickly as possible. Fear is vital in this example. Without fear you would not have been able to think and react so quickly and you might have been just too late.
Fear of failure
It doesn’t work anyway
There are different types of fear. This article is about fear of failure. That is the fear of failure, the fear that something will not work out. You can suffer from it in different situations. Fear of failure is common at school. That is not surprising, because children have to constantly perform. They are constantly given tests, turns and tasks. Students with fear of failure are afraid that they will not be able to handle certain tasks. They then think in advance that they will not make it. It is certainly not the case that fearful children are stupid or do not try hard. They are often quite smart and usually learn extra well. But during a test they suddenly lose their minds and can only think about unpleasant things.
Bad Consequences
Children with test anxiety are not only afraid of a test or exam, but also of the consequences of poor performance. Many children then think:
- I’ll probably get a big fail, so I’ll have to do really well on the next test. Nothing can go wrong.
- I will definitely get a bad grade for history, for example. So I can’t get bad grades in the other subjects. Otherwise I might stay put.
- Bullies will teach me again. They always think it’s funny when I get a three or four.
- If I get a bad grade, I have to listen to my mother’s nagging again and maybe the teacher will grumble at me again.
Many children are bullied because of their poor grades. These thoughts only make the child more anxious.
Recognize fear of failure
How does the body respond?
You can recognize fear of failure by certain symptoms. Symptoms are phenomena that occur when a certain event occurs. A child always knows exactly when the time will come again. He then notices it in his body. The heart beats faster and breathing is also faster than normal. Hands and feet become hot or cold. You then break out in a sweat and your hands get wet. Sometimes they even vibrate. You usually suffer from an unpleasant feeling in your stomach. It rumbles there and you feel twinges. This is caused by cramps in your stomach and intestines. You also have to go to the toilet more often.
Negative thinking
The main symptom of fear of failure is that you can no longer think straight. It seems like your brain is empty. That is not the case, but the tension makes you unable to remember anything you have learned. Only nasty thoughts run through your head about failing grades, bad reports and nagging parents. Precisely because those unpleasant thoughts dominate, you are unable to think calmly about the course material.
One in five students
Some students think they are the only ones with fear of failure, but twenty percent of all children in group eight suffer from it at some point. So 1 in five children sometimes suffer from fear of failure. When children find out that they are not alone, it is usually a relief.
Taboo
Children or adults with fear of failure almost never talk about their problem. People don’t like to talk about their weaknesses. They prefer to talk about things they are good at. Fear of failure is also still a bit taboo. It’s something people think you shouldn’t talk about. Others don’t need to know what your weaknesses are. People with fear of failure also find it very difficult to talk about it. Others often do not understand their problem. Others say, Oh, don’t get so excited, everyone gets anxious sometimes. But it’s not that simple.
Three types of fear of failure
Don’t know anything anymore
According to psychologists, there are three types of fear of failure. A psychologist is someone who tries to understand how people think and react in certain situations. The first type is cognitive fear of failure. That is fear of failure that has to do with the mind or knowledge. With this form of fear of failure, you cannot remember anything or almost nothing of what you have learned during a test. It’s as if you’ve lost everything.
Can’t say a word anymore
The second type is social fear of failure. That is fear of failure that has to do with your dealings with people. You get social fear of failure when you are afraid of what others think of you. It may happen that you stop in the middle of a conversation. You suddenly don’t know what to say anymore. The result is often that you just keep your mouth shut the next time.
Cramp
The third type is motor performance anxiety. That is fear of failure that has to do with your motor skills. Motor skills are the way you move.
More types of fear of failure at the same time
It often happens that people suffer from different types of fear of failure at the same time. Two examples.
- You are standing in the snack bar and you have to wait a long time. When it is finally your turn, you no longer remember what you wanted to order out of fear (cognitive fear of failure). When paying, you also drop all your money out of nerves (motor fear of failure).
- You have to give a speech and you are afraid that you will not remember your text (cognitive fear of failure) and that the class will laugh at you (social fear of failure).
Positive fear of failure
Fear of failure usually leads to poor performance. A failing grade at school, a defeat in sports, a blunder or something else unpleasant. In any case, it produces a negative result and is therefore called negative fear of failure. It may sound crazy, but fear of a test, a turn or a competition can also lead to good performance. So to a positive result. You then speak of positive fear of failure.
Implications
Negative thinking
People with fear of failure often think negatively about themselves. For example: I can’t do anything, I’m a zero. It’s hard to get rid of that. Because every failure is further proof for them. They then say: you see that I can do it. But they continue to think negatively even when the result is good. Fear of failure therefore leads to little self-confidence. that is, on your own possibilities. So know that you can do something.
Bad feelings
People with fear of failure underestimate themselves. They think they perform less or worse than they actually do. They also usually feel less than others. People who often fail at something can get all kinds of bad feelings. They are not only anxious and nervous, but also sad or angry. Many people become pessimistic and look at everything from the unfavorable side. They cannot imagine a positive outcome.
Fear of failure and others
People who have a fear of failure are usually given little consideration. That doesn’t happen on purpose, but simply because they don’t know. This is very annoying for people with fear of failure.
Good tips
You usually only get rid of fear of failure after you have achieved some good results. You will have to deliver good performance yourself. There are tips to reduce the chance of fear of failure.
Tip 1: relax and think positively
To relieve tension and anxiety, it is good to relax regularly. This can be done in many different ways. You can do relaxation exercises, exercise, walk the dog, watch television or listen to music. Breathing exercises are also very good. Because anxious people breathe way too fast. Try to breathe in and out slowly. That relaxes. think mainly about things that went well and not about things that went wrong.
Tip 2: try to gain self-confidence
Many children panic when they see the questions on the test. If questions 1 and 2 are difficult, they already don’t want to do it anymore. But you don’t necessarily have to do the questions in a specific order. Make the easiest one first, that gives you self-confidence. You then get the idea that you can do it. The more difficult questions suddenly seem much easier. Moreover, you will at least get a number of questions right. People often suffer from fear of failure because they set their goals too high. It is not necessary to always get an eight. Certainly not if it makes you anxious. It is then wise to settle for a six or seven. This also applies to sports performance. If you always get fear of failure in the leading group, it is better to take it easy. The performance may be less, but you still enjoy exercising. That might be even more important.
Tip 3: make a list
If you have to go shopping, make a list. When it’s your turn, you always know what to ask. If you have to give a speech, write down in a few words what you want to talk about. If you’ve lost your lines, a few words can get you back on track.
Success with it!