How To Live With a Coping Problem Quiz

Answer: Words

It must be very difficult to cope with for those people who have verbophobia. There are words all around us, everywhere we go. I could understand a fear of some words, but not words in general. Maybe you could introduce one letter at a time, get comfy with it, take it shopping - oh, NO, words everywhere in the store. How about just listening to some soothing music together. Cuddle up with the C, adore the A, touch the T and stroke the S.

There, you have let CATS into your life. Deep breath. Say the word. Make it your own. We can work on hippopotomonstrosesquippedalophobia next, it's just the dread of long words (and maybe of having to pronounce them!).

Answer: Death

I agree with Woody Allen, who said, "I'm not afraid of dying. I just don't want to be there when it happens". It's not death itself that scares me, because that's a natural end. Dying is what scares me, being aware of it, especially if it's drowning or burning. I suppose most of us would prefer to go quietly in our sleep and not know it was happening.

Other dare-devilish souls might like to go out in a blaze of glory or fighting for a cause. Wasting away used to be popular, as it led to great cinematic moments, but I'm thinking you should pop off before you have time to mutter something silly as your 'last words'.

As we get older we become more accustomed to the concept of death as we've experienced losses in our lives, and at some point we realise that it cannot be avoided.

It is at its most sad when the very young die without having had a chance at a full life.

Answer: Coulrophobia

Many children are afraid of clowns, and it's readily understandable. There's a non-human or exaggerated colorful face, along with weird clothes and hair. Just what is this thing? Best way to avoid them: don't go to circuses and don't invite one to your child's birthday party. Even if your own child is not afraid of clowns, other children might be. Stephen King wrote a whole horror novel on this subject: "It".

Chionophobia is the fear of snow.
Chiraptophobia is the fear of bats.
Clinophobia is the fear of going to bed.

Answer: Apiphobia

The prefix api- refers to bees, and Holmes would not have chosen this if he had a dread fear of them. In fact, Holmes didn't seem terribly afraid of anything. At the end of "His Last Bow" (pub. 1917), he said, "There's an east wind coming, Watson." Watson replied, "I think not, Holmes. It is very warm." and Holmes closed his final tale with, "Good old Watson! You are the one fixed point in a changing age. There's an east wind coming all the same, such a wind as never blew over England yet. It will be cold and bitter, Watson, and a good many of us may wither before its blast...and a cleaner, better, stronger land will lie in the sunshine when the storm has cleared." The 'Great War' was coming.

If you do have a fear of bees or are allergic to bee sting, which is not uncommon, you should, of course, avoid the places they frequent and carry a prescription medication if your doctor advised it.

Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of having peanut butter stick to the roof of your mouth. I've seen dogs trying to unstick this substance from their mouths, so I imagine it could be fearful. Atychiphobia is the dread of failure. Anthrophobia is the fear of flowers. Georgia O'Keefe apparently did not have this.

Answer: Gravity

You could spend your time in a zero gravity chamber if you can afford it, but it might be a bit constraining. If you could build yourself a pressurized home on the moon, you would have far less gravity to worry about. In fact, you might have to anchor yourself at times. If you got lonely you could always play long distance fun trivia on your computer.

Fear of water is aquaphobia or hydrophobia, which is also a name for rabies. Toward the final stages of this fatal disease, the victim has a dread fear of water.

There are probably several forms of the general or specific types of fears of foliage, depending on whether it's a tree (dendrophobia), shrubbery or plant that's involved. The very general fear would be botanophobia.

Answer: Xyrophobia

Xyrophobia is a morbid fear of razors or other sharp objects. If your variety of this fear does not include scissors you can wait till your hair grows very long and just cut it. That might not work well if you also have trichopathophobia, the fear of hair.

Xerophobia is a fear of dryness.
Xenoglossophobia is a fear of foreign or alien languages.
Xanthophobia is a fear of the color yellow.

Answer: Sciophobia

Peter Pan didn't have this fear; he was more worried about losing his shadow, so Wendy sewed it back on for him. Alexander simply turned his horse to face the sun so he couldn't see his shadow, according to legend. This seems a bit too contrived a solution; if you had this condition, you would have to carefully map out your excursions so that you would always face the sun, or only go out on sunless days.

Siderophobia is the dread of stars. Just stay in on a clear night or don't look up. Stigiophobia is the fear of Hell. Be good. Stenophobia is a dread of narrow places. This I can relate to, as I find myself squirming when I watch films with people squeezing through narrow cliffs and places where they don't even know what's on the other side...IF there's another side and you don't get stuck! Stenosis is the narrowing of blood vessels.

Answer: Zemmiphobia

This is a very precisely placed fear involving one animal, and you can simply find out where it lives and avoid the place. But, wait, it's not that simple: there is no such animal! This is a psychological fear personified by a fictional animal. You may have dreaded the Venusian Slime Monster (mentioned in "Star Trek")as this was a good place to keep your unknown fear at bay. Fear of something that is not real can be treated by a professional, and may be similar to conquering the 'monsters' from childhood. The fact that you intellectually know there is no such thing, does not reach the deepest levels of your primal fear. It requires therapy for most people to overcome it.

Zoophobia is not so specific, as it is the fear of animals in general. Zeusophobia is the fear of God or gods. Zelophobia is the fear of jealousy, but whether it involves your own or someone else's, depends on you. Perhaps both.

Answer: Eosophobia

This is probably a common fear among vampires, as they are killed by sunlight. There is also a rare genetic disorder, Xeroderma Pigmentosum, that makes people subject to serious burning if they are in natural or artificial ultra-violet light. This condition also leaves some victims subject to other complications such as eye and ear problems and seizures. They generally become night people, and have to adjust their lives accordingly. This is not a psychological disorder.

Eleutherophobia is the fear of freedom. This is also a syndrome some long-term incarcerated people have developed, similar to agoraphobia: they feel afraid when out in the open because they are used to being safe in confined spaces and activities. It is akin to institutionalism. Emetophobia is the fear of vomiting. Enochlophobia is the fear of crowds, real or perceived.

Answer: Agateophobia

This fear has been portrayed on stage and in film, such as the fragile southern belle, Blanche Dubois in "Streetcar Named Desire". Blanche had trouble coping with the world, and especially with unkindness. Ablutophobia is the fear of washing or bathing. Autodysomophobia is the fear of horrible odors.

It would be best not to have both of these! Achluophobia is just the fear of darkness, and is one of the most common of human fears as it boils down to fear of the unknown. In the film "Jaws", I found the fear factor to be highest when there was no monster to be seen. Once it showed itself, there could be a feeling of relief and maybe a way to cope with it.