 Overcoming Our Fears
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Phobia |
Definition |
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Acousticophobia |
fear of new things |
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Aviophobia |
fear of water |
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Agoraphobia |
fear of heart disease/heart attacks |
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Anglophobia |
fear of injury or war |
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Arithmophobia |
fear of numbers |
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Cardiophobia |
fear of making decisions |
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Chronophobia |
fear of flying |
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Claustrophobia |
fear of time |
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Decidophobia |
fear of animals |
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Hemophobia |
fear of noise |
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Hydrophobia |
fear of enclosed/small spaces |
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Megalophobia |
fear of large objects |
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Neophobia |
fear of England, English culture |
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Traumatophobia |
fear of the sight of blood |
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Zoophobia |
fear of large open spaces/areas |
$ Reading/Writing Exercise: top
Is Fear Getting In the Way?
Instructions: Read the following text and answer the comprehension questions.
The famous American author Mark Twain once said: “Courage is resistance to and mastery of fear – not the absence of fear.” It is almost impossible to imagine a world without fear. For most of us, overcoming our fears is our greatest obstacle in life. If Mark Twain is correct, then we can’t wish our fears away; but rather we must find a way to confront the things that terrify us.
The dictionary defines “fear” as being the anticipation of pain or discomfort. In other words, fear is simply the result of worrying about the future. It doesn’t take a great philosopher to inform us that we don’t live in “the future”; we live in “the present”. Therefore, fear doesn’t exist in reality, but in our minds. Although this may sound logical, it doesn’t seem to help us live with our daily worries and fears. Many of us wait for our anxieties to disappear before we make a decision or take action. Unfortunately, this will never help us to overcome our concerns. Both successful and unsuccessful people have doubts about their future. The difference is that those who succeed are individuals who pursue their dreams in spite of their fears, doubts and worries.
So if we can’t escape fear, is there anything we can do to learn to manage it? Here are some strategies for managing your fears and anxieties. In order to deal with your problem, you must first identify what your problem is. The emotion of fear originates from hormonal and neurological responses in the brain. When the body senses potential danger it triggers certain reactions which increase heart rate, breathing and adrenaline levels. When there is no “actual” danger, only a fear about a future event or situation, the body tends to remain in this heightened sense of alert for a long period of time. Recognizing that your body is simply reacting the way it is programmed to is the first step in managing your fears. When you feel these conditions occurring you should attempt to do some, or all of the following. Get your body moving by walking or exercising. When you are moving your blood is flowing and you begin to focus on the world around you instead of your “personal” problems. Live in the moment and not in the future. People who practice meditation and relaxation have long known that serenity exists when you set your mind on your present surroundings. Have confidence in yourself and think about positive things. Surround yourself by people you love and things you enjoy. Eating your favourite comfort food (like chocolate) will help you to relax and move beyond your fear. Get plenty of rest and start every day as a new and promising day.
In these times of global and economic uncertainty, it is crucial that we manage our personal lives in a healthy and productive fashion. Today why don’t you think about your dreams, your relationships, your career/education and your environment. Ask yourself if you are allowing fear and self-doubt to get in the way of achieving your goals. Remember that our greatest weaknesses can sometimes lead to our greatest strengths.
1. In paragraph one, the word “overcoming” could be replaced by:
(a) developing
(b) conquering
(c) encouraging
(d) stimulating
2. Why does the author say that fear is our “greatest obstacle”?
(a) It improves our lives.
(b) It is a barrier to our happiness.
(c) It encourages us to escape our stress.
(d) It assists in developing our personality.
3. The word “those” (in the second paragraph) refers to:
(a) fears (b) actions (c) concerns (d) people
4. Based on the information presented in the text, all of the following statements are true EXCEPT:
(a) Many of our fears are based on future situations and circumstances.
(b) The body produces many physical reactions to fear.
(c) Eating chocolate causes anxiety in many people.
(d) Overcoming fear can strengthen our character.
5. In the third paragraph, the word “triggers” could be replaced by all of the following except:
(a) terminates
(b) causes
(c) initiates
(d) prompts
6. When the author recommends that we “live in the moment” (in the third paragraph) s/he means:
(a) focus on time
(b) time is short
(c) focus on now
(d) wait a moment and then live
7. Write a brief paragraph answer to the following question:
Do you think it is practical advice to suggest that a person “live in the moment” and not worry about the future?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
If you are interested in finding out more about fear, anxiety and phobias, you can consult the following resources:
(1) A comprehensive list of phobias: http://www.allsands.com/Health/Diseases/listofphobia_yne_gn.htm
(2) The Canadian Mental Health Association http://www.cmha.ca/english/index.html
(3) The Institute of Living http://www.instituteofliving.org/adc/
Grammar Exercise: top
Adjectives & Adverbs
Study the following:
1. An adjective is used to provide more information about a noun. We use adjectives before nouns and after a few verbs that describe the state or appearance of something. (such as: “be”, “seem”, “feel”, and “smell”).
2. An adverb provides information about a verb. It describes the manner in which something is done.
3. We can have the following patterns in English: (a) ADJECTIVE + NOUN new car
(b) ADVERB + ADJECTIVE + NOUN reasonably cheap car
(c) ADVERB + PARTICIPLE + NOUN well designed car
(d) ADVERB + PARTICIPLE + COMPOUND NOUN well designed sports car
(e) ADVERB + ADVERB incredibly quickly
4. “good” is an adjective & “well” is an adverb [example] Andre is a good cook. Andre cooks well.
5. “fast”, “hard” and “late” are both adjectives and adverbs
6. “lately” means “recently”
7. Don’t confuse “hard” and “hardly”! “Hardly” means almost not at all. [example] Candice is admired by her colleagues because she works hard. and Candice is criticized by her colleagues because she hardly works.
Part One top
Instructions:
Complete the sentences selecting the correct word form.
1. I was anxious/anxiously awaiting the results of my TOEFL test.
2. We’ve had continuous/continuously snow for the past three days.
3. I just felt terrible/terribly when I heard what happened to Marissa.
4. Where were you recent/recently ?
5. I’m not very observant. I hard/hardly noticed that you changed your hair colour.
6. The bad/badly design has resulted in numerous consumer complaints.
7. The editor was annoyed because Jose’s submission was late/lately.
8. Please speak quiet/quietly; the baby is still sleeping.
9. You were speaking so fast/fastly that I couldn’t understand you.
10. The poor/poorly designed building eventually collapsed.
Part Two top
Instructions:
Provide your own example sentences that illustrate the following adjective-adverb patterns:
(1) ADJECTIVE + NOUN
___________________________________________________________________________
(2) ADVERB + ADJECTIVE + NOUN
___________________________________________________________________________
(3) ADVERB + PARTICIPLE + NOUN
___________________________________________________________________________
(4) ADVERB + PARTICIPLE + COMPOUND NOUN ___________________________________________________________________________
(5) ADVERB + ADVERB ___________________________________________________________________________
U Writing & Speaking Exercise: top
Discussing Your Fears
Instructions:
Complete the following sentences and then discuss your responses with your group.
1. When I was a child, the thing I feared most was___________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
2. Before moving to Canada, I feared that Canada would be___________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
3. Today I think my biggest irrational fear is_______________________________________
________________________________________________________________________.
Writing A Nightmare
- A nightmare is a distressing dream which usually results in an individual waking up with a feeling of terror or dread. During a nightmare, we feel many emotions such as anger, guilt, sadness, anxiety and fear. Although children are plagued by nightmares, they are still quite common in adults as well. Have you ever had a dream in which you are being chased? Have you ever found yourself lost or falling? There are many theories about what causes nightmares, but most psychologists attribute them to foods, medications and daily stress encountered in our waking lives.
Instructions:
Working with the people in your group, compose a short story (a nightmare) that you can share with the rest of your classmates. In order to get you started, think about the following questions: When does it occur? (time of day, season, year) Who or What is in the nightmare? What fears or anxieties are involved? How will your nightmare end? (a positive or a negative resolution) If you are having difficulty deciding what to write about, you can refer to the “list of phobias” for some ideas.