Do you often feel scared when dealing with numbers? If so, you may have Numerophobia or a phobia of numbers. Here’s information about the phobia of numbers.
The number 13 is often considered a symbol of bad luck or bad luck. Because of the popularity of this assumption, a number of hotels and buildings have omitted the number 13 in the room and floor numbers.
The fear of a certain number is also experienced by the former President of the United States (US), Ronald Reagan. Because the number 666 is often identified with mystical things, Reagan was willing to change the street number of his house in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, USA, from number 666 to 668.
The phobia or excessive fear of the number 666 as experienced by Reagan is known as hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia. Meanwhile, the fear of the number 13 is known as triskaidekaphobia.
Well, if you have a tendency not only to be afraid of certain numbers, but to all numbers, it could be a symptom of Numerophobia or number phobia. What is Nomophobia?
Causes of Number Phobia
Quoted from Optimist Minds, Numerophobia is an excessive fear of numbers or even math.
Until now, it is not known for certain what causes a person to have a phobia of numbers, also known as Arithmophobia.
Even so, Ikhsan Bella Persada, M.Pi., Psychologist, revealed that this phobia can be experienced by a person due to environmental influences.
“For example, his parents were scolded for not being able to understand numbers or not being able to count,” explained Ikhsan.
“It could also be a trigger because since childhood he has always been said to have failed due to poor math scores, thus developing a fear of dealing with numbers,” he added.
In addition, the phobia of numbers can also be triggered due to heredity. A report from Optimist Mind revealed that someone who has a family with an excessive fear of numbers, is at higher risk of developing a similar phobia.
Number Phobia Symptoms
A person with this phobia can experience a number of symptoms, including a racing heart, sweating, and shaking when dealing with numbers.
“The individual can even immediately panic and hysterically refuse when he sees numbers, withdraw when there are numbers, so he can’t concentrate,” explained psychologist Ikhsan.
Panic attacks also cause numbers phobia sufferers to feel short of breath, nausea and vomiting.
As a result. people with a phobia of numbers tend to avoid math lessons, even desperate to skip school in order not to deal with numbers.
How to Deal with Number Phobia
According to psychologist Ikhsan, it is important to know the cause of someone experiencing excessive fear of numbers.
He recommends that people with number phobia visit professionals such as psychologists to get further treatment.
Still reported by Optimist Mind, there are a number of treatments that psychologists can do to get rid of the phobia of numbers.
People with phobias can receive cognitive therapy that helps reveal the reasons they behave, think, and feel their excessive fear of numbers.
Then, there is exposure therapy which is done by bringing the patient closer to the source of his fear, namely numbers. This therapy aims to make the patient more familiar and familiar with numbers.
Lastly, there is MBSR ( Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction ), which is an awareness training program that is generally held for 8 weeks. This program helps phobic patients distract their thoughts and fears by focusing on doing something else like breathing.
Practicing mindfulness can help a person with Numerophobia gradually reduce their fear of numbers.