The man is a social animal, as we all know. This social animal has his own state of mind which sometimes is encompassed by certain emotions. These emotions are not always pleasant. Some of them are categorized as "fearful emotions" or "phobias". Fear is one of the emotions which tells us that something is potentially dangerous for us which can cause threat or pain. These fearful emotions may get worse over the course of time but if we don't let them control our lives, we can ignore their presence. I have controlled 2 such fears in my life over the course of time - Monophobia and Anthropophobia.

MONOPHOBIA

Being emotionally attached to one's parents is very common in our culture. Monophobia is the name of such a fear when you are afraid of getting separated from someone to whom you are emotionally attached. I couldn't imagine myself separated from my parents when I went to university which was about 70 kilometers away from where we lived. Instead of living in a dormitory, I chose to travel every day for almost 2 hours so that I could see my family every day. It continued for 4 years till I finished my undergraduate studies.

I could have never overcome this fear of separation from the family if I stayed the way I was. I chose to come to Canada for my further studies all by myself, knowing that I'd never let my fear control my life goals. Making frequent trips to India, family visiting me in Canada, and connected via the internet, somehow, solved my homesickness and separation phobia to some extent. By owning my phobia, I believe that I have taken a bold step towards gaining control over my life goals as best I could.

ANTHROPOPHOBIA

Being a bookworm all my teenaged life, I had never been to any parties or social gatherings. I had always been afraid of meeting new people at any social places and would only feel comfortable if surrounded by people whom I knew. I was always afraid that people are judging me for everything including my style of dress and my choice of words. It is a form of social phobia. It could have worsened over the time.

I chose Anthropophobia to not overcome my beautiful and blessed life. In my last 9 years of life in Canada, I have been blessed to meet so many people in my life whom I never knew before. Being independent, I pushed myself through and started meeting people with confidence. With patience and fearlessness, I realized that social contact is one of the basic human needs. Consequently, I am the most the most social person in my family and is never afraid to strike a conversation with a stranger. It took some time and efforts from being an introvert to extrovert but the rewards are beyond beautiful.

Being afraid is a natural human behavior, but overcoming a fear makes us feel proud, empowered, and courageous.