Fear of money(chromophobia): causes, symptoms, overcoming, self-help

Fear of money or chromophobia is the intense fear of money. Chrometophobia originates from the Greek chemo, which means money, and Phobos, which means deep dislike, deep fear.

Money is a necessity of life. However, dealing with money is extremely difficult for a person who has Chrematophobia. The phobia naturally affects daily life, such as shopping or working, traveling on buses and trains, etc. It becomes challenging. Some phobics fear only the corrupting power of money; Others may fear financial failure or the responsibility that money brings.

Some cases of fear of money phobia could be related to the fear of germs, resulting in the person being afraid of touching the money handled by someone else. Many go to the extreme of wearing gloves to avoid getting sick after taking money. In general, chromotophobia is a rare phobia that affects a handful of people worldwide.

Causes of fear of money

• In general, people with very little money tend to suffer more from the fear of money.
• These often include beggars who tend to starve on the streets but refuse to ask for money to buy food.
• These people also tend to feel anxious about how little money they have, which creates thought patterns that make them think that money is evil.
• As in the case of other phobias, the fear of money can also come from negative experiences, which often bring cash with it.
• Where there is money, there is greed, and this concept has been ingrained in us since our childhood in fairy tales and stories of evildoers who harm good people for money.
• A child may see his parents quarrel and fight over money and may grow up with negative thought patterns about it.
• These patterns are difficult to change and can lead to permanent Chromophobia.
• Finance also comes with responsibilities. You have to be careful, save money, and invest it to grow.
• Bad investments lead to losses that are often devastating. News reports and stories about this can lead to fear of money.
• Money often leads to stress and anxiety and could make people feel helpless or out of control.

People with pre-existing anxiety disorders may also suffer from a fear of money phobia. Hormonal deficiencies, other physical illnesses, or conditions can also lead to chemophobia.

You might also like to read: Fear Of Paper: Causes, Symptoms, Treatments, Therapies.

Symptoms

The fear of money can cause varied symptoms based on the extent of the fear.

• Phobics may refuse to deal with money.
• As a result, daily activities become difficult for them.
• Constantly counting money is another symptom of chrematophobia.
• Those with little money often feel powerless or have no means to care for themselves.
• Many phobics tend to be socially withdrawn and may refuse to participate in family activities.
• They find that it makes no sense to buy the necessary things, go to the movies, restaurants, etc.
• This can affect your relationships with family members causing you to feel isolated.
• Depression is a significant side effect of this phobia.
• The phobic often realizes the irrationality of his thoughts but feels powerless to control them.
• Sometimes the simple act of seeing or thinking about money can cause physical symptoms of the phobia, such as shaking, shaking, sweating, dry mouth, shortness of breath, nausea, wanting to scream, cry or run away.
• The chromophobic may refuse to see a doctor or dentist when the disease occurs, often resulting in adverse health consequences.

As you can see, chrematophobia is a debilitating phobia.

• One might think that with the availability of electronic money transfers, credit cards, etc., such fears can be alleviated since the person does not have to handle the money physically.
• However, the condition is not just about managing money but more about working your exchange.
• The idea of ​​exchanging or giving away money triggers an all-out panic attack.

Overcome chromophobia

• Thanks to advances in psychology and psychiatry, help is available for patients with Chromophobia.
• Naturally, the first step is acknowledging and accepting fear and seeking help from professionals.
• Naturally, this means spending money, but family members must make phobics understand that it is all for a good cause.

Self-help techniques like meditation and positive affirmations can also help.

• New Age thinking also tells us to let go of worldly pleasures and earthly ties in a perpetual state of bliss.
• A certain amount of money is necessary for life, and when used well, it can lead to fulfillment and joy.
• One should learn as much as possible about money as knowledge about it can help erase their fears and prevent them from controlling one’s life.
• Doing charity, seeing that money is used well, etc., can also help phobics realize and accept the positive side of money.

Other modern therapies such as hypnotherapy, neurolinguistic programming or NLP, gradual exposure therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy can also help the patient. All these therapies help to get to the root of Chromophobia to overcome it once and for all.