This small guide includes the impact of relationship fears, 6 common types of relationship fears, and some simple ways to overcome them. These are must-consider factors to maintain a healthy relationship in the long run.
Before exploring types of relationship fears and ways to overcome them, firstly let’s understand the impact of relationship fears:
Impact of relationship fears
Relationship fears can create anxiety and insecurity in a relationship, which sabotages it in the long run. If you do not talk about these fears, they can get worse and completely deteriorate your relationship. But you may wonder, “Why are you having these fears?” Well, some of the most common causes of relationship fears could be your childhood experience or having been in the company of such people.
Types of relationship fears can have a significant impact on how you feel about your partner or your relationship, and you may even begin to fear commitment, infidelity, and other similar occurrences. From the various types of relationship fears, no matter what your specific fear is or what the root cause of this fear is, it will badly affect your bond with your partner in the long run. So these fears need to be accepted and talked about with your partner. And you both work and look for ways to overcome them.
Now, before heading towards the simple ways to overcome relationship fears, first look at the 6 common types of relationship fears.
6 Common types of relationship fears
The first step is acceptance, i.e., accepting that you have some particular fear, which actually gives you many ways to overcome them. Let’s take that first step, i.e., consider the signs of common types of relationship fears, so that you can find ways to overcome these fears accordingly.
Here is a list of 6 common types of relationship fears, which are described below:
FEAR OF FALLING IN LOVE (Philophobia):
Most people find falling in love to be a wonderful experience, but did you know that some people fear it? It gets so difficult for them to build an emotional connection and a loving relationship with their partner. The main cause of this fear is suffering harm at the hands of someone for not wanting them.
This could be due to their experience, where they have seen or experienced something that takes their trust away from being in love. Due to this, if they were in a relationship, it would be difficult for them to make a strong emotional connection with their partner. And without that emotional connection and love, the relationship becomes worthless.
FEAR OF COMMITMENT (Gamophobia):
Some people have a fear of commitment, due to which they won’t enter into serious relationships. And even they feel bound when talking about long-term relationships. They just run away from close friendships or relationships, even if they love their partner. But they simply can’t commit to being with him or her in the future.
This could also be due to their experience, which badly hurts them. And they still have that fear within them, due to which they have this fear of commitment, and is one of the most common types of relationship fears. If they can’t overcome their fear of commitment on time, they end up having nothing left in their relationship.
FEAR OF INTIMACY (Genophobia):
Fear of intimacy is another of the common types of relationship fears that you should know about. That fear of intimacy is more about the subconscious, where people have a fear of maintaining closeness. They don’t avoid intimacy intentionally but try to push their partner away with their behavior and other things.
The root cause of this fear could be the fear of getting dumped due to neglect in childhood, medical issues, or some beliefs. This makes them fear getting extremely close to someone, even if they love that person. But this fear can deteriorate their relationship without them even knowing it.
FEAR OF GETTING CHEATED (Pistanthrophobia):
Some people have experienced betrayal, harm, or abandonment from a partner. They are so hurt that they are afraid that their partner will cheat on them once more in a relationship. And this fear makes them more controlling, so they sometimes spy on their partner to make themselves feel better.
This insecurity and trust issue can badly affect their relationship, even if they are dedicated or serious about it. With these kinds of fears, it’s impossible to build and maintain healthy relationships.
FEAR OF PREGNANCY (Tokophobia):
Fear of pregnancy is quite rare, but it does exist; some people have a great fear of giving birth. And due to this, they avoid getting pregnant in every possible way. Even if they like babies, they just can’t go through this childbirth process.
Undoubtedly, many women have anxiety about giving birth, which is normal. But this is somehow a severe case, due to which they just avoid getting pregnant. They even find it hard to express and share these feelings with their partner, so they avoid this topic. And this will affect their relationship.
FEAR OF ABANDONMENT:
Fear of abandonment means fear of losing the one you love the most. People who have this fear are more insecure about themselves and, hence, want reassurance all the time. This makes them feel nervous and emotionally weak, and hence they just can’t maintain a healthy relationship. Any kind of fear can wreck your relationship in the long run if it is not talked about or resolved, as it creates differences between you and your partner.
Ways to overcome relationship fears:
There are various types of relationship fears, as are their root causes (as discussed above). One thing they all had in common, however, was that they were detrimental to your relationship. Either you or your partner is facing such issues or has such fears, but the fact is that you both suffer because of this. And hence make it difficult for you to maintain a healthy relationship in the long run. So it’s very important to know about common types of relationship fears and look for ways to overcome them.
Following are some of the basic and simple ways to overcome relationship fears:
- First of all, accept and learn about the fear you are experiencing (from the various types of relationship fears).
- Then try to figure out what makes you feel this way.
- Then go and share it with your partner without any hesitation.
- It’s okay to feel this way, as many people experience fear.
- Just work on it together and give yourself some time to overcome this.
- Put in more effort, spend more time with your partner, have a heart-to-heart conversation, express it openly, and start building more trust and understanding in your relationship.
- If nothing works, you’d better get professional help.
