Cyberphobia: The Fear of Computers or Technology

Cyberphobia is the irrational fear of computers or technology. There are many reason why a person may suffer from cyberphobia. Sometimes it’s just the fear of the unknown. They don’t understand how a computer works so they don’t want anything to do with it. They are afraid they will break something or lose important information.

My parents are definitely afraid of computers and technology. They act like computers are the devil. It took me years just to convince that it was okay to pay bills online. I have to do it for them though. They won’t get near the computer. I’ve been thinking about giving them a computer so maybe they will have a more open mind towards them, but I’m scared they will run from it or throw it out the window. They don’t understand how valuable technology is and they feel that they are too old to learn how it works.

I can’t even imagine being afraid of computers or technology. That’s my lifeline. My computer, printer, copier and fax machine are all necessities in my home. Now when the internet goes down…that’s when I have an anxiety attack!

It’s hard to understand certain phobias if you don’t suffer from them so if you suffer from cyberphobia I would like to know why and how computers and technology make you feel.

Pyrophobia: The Fear of Fire

It’s perfectly normal to fear fire. The last thing a person wants is to lose their home, life or the life of their loved ones to a fire. Fire can be a very scary thing, but those with Pyrophobia have a very abnormal fear of fire. The fear quickly begins to interfere with daily routines and can eventually take over their entire lives. A person with Pyrophobia is scared to leave their homes, because they’re scared it may burn down while they’re gone. They’re scared to go to sleep because the house may catch on fire. There’s also a constant fear that the smoke detectors will not work correctly if there is a fire.

I’ve suffered from Pyrophobia for about 12 years now. It’s always worse in the winter because of the Christmas lights and heat lamps for our dogs. I didn’t just wake up one day afraid of fire. We lived a house away from my grandpa and I awoke at 3a.m with our neighbor screaming and banging on our door. She said my grandpa’s house was on fire. I looked out the window and saw the flames. I ran to his house and there were firemen and police officers everywhere. Luckily it was only his storage building burning, but it was enough to traumatize me. A day or two after that an outlet in my bedroom shorted out while I was sleeping and burned the inside of the wall. Then a couple of years ago there was a gas leak in my home and the heater caught on fire. I thank God everyday that only the heater and a portion of the wall burned. The scary thing about that one is that we were not suppose to be home that day, but a strange set of circumstances kept us there.

Although I do have reasons to be afraid of fire, my fears are still irrational most of the time. If I had it my way I would have smoke detectors in and outside my house and I would sleep with a fire extinguisher all the time…I’ve only done that once or twice. It’s not fun being this afraid of something. Ironically, I’m afraid of being afraid.