Some people have the fear of marriage. I have spoken to some young men and women who told me that they are scared of getting married. They develop anxiety whenever the issue of marriage is raised by friends and family members.
Gamophobia is the fear of marriage or commitment. It is a legitimate phobia that affects the lives of many people in Nigeria even if some people don’t want to say it loud for fear of being judged or called possessed. In this part of the world, people love to pretend a lot because we are a judgmental people. It is said that men are often more likely to have gamophobia than women.
Gamophobia is about more than just a mild fear of commitment. With this phobia, the very thought of marriage could lead to a full-blown panic attack. Just being around married couples can be difficult for such a person.
You can know if you have a true irrational fear of marriage or legitimate concerns by looking at these learning the common symptoms of gamophobia. If you have these symptoms, you are likely going to need to seek outside help to overcome your fear of marriage.
The symptoms to watch for include anxiety when thinking about marriage, avoidance of married couples and weddings, inability to cope with the anxiety from commitment, muscle tension, weakness, or sweating when marriage is mentioned and panic attacks or anxiety attacks (can feel like a heart attack) when you are asked when you are getting married.
If you have symptoms of gamophobia, such as frequent breakups and no long-term relationships, you might need to work to discover the root cause of your fear of marriage so that you can address it. It will be worth it to yourself and your partner to uncover the causes of your gamophobia and work on treating it.
The exact causes of fear of marriage are sometimes not known. Several things can contribute to gamophobia, including environment, upbringing, and childhood trauma. There are, however, some things that have been known to at least be a contributing cause to a fear of marriage. They include having divorced parents, family history of mental illness, especially anxiety, an emotional event that happened within the context of a marriage and a series of heartbreaks that may make you dread long term commitments.
Sometimes, the fear of marriage stems from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. If someone has the genetic markers for and family history of anxiety or mental illness, all it might take is one emotional event to cause them to distrust marriage and develop a fear of it for a long time afterwards.
Some people are afraid of getting married because of the sad tales many married people tell these days. They don’t want to end up angry, bitter and violent like some couples they know or read about on social media. The thought of being abused by their spouse scares them so much that they don’t want to hear anything about marriage.
Some people don’t want to get committed to one person for the rest of their lives. They have commitment phobia. They want to be free to live their lives the way they like, do whatever they want and go wherever they want at anytime without being asked questions. They don’t want the monotonous lifestyle of married people because they are adventurous and carefree.
The good news is that some people may be willing to overcome their fear of marriage if they meet someone who allays all their fears. If you are in a long-term relationship that is heading towards marriage and you want to run, you have to understand why you are afraid of marriage and how to overcome those fears so that you can have a productive and healthy relationship with your partner.
If you have a mild to moderate fear of marriage and not a full blown phobia, there are some things that you can do to overcome your fear of getting married. These things might also work for people who have a moderate to severe phobia of marriage and bring you a step closer to tying the knot.
First of all, you have to think about changes if you really want to get married. It is okay to desire to get married, it is also okay not to desire marriage. The most important thing is staying true to yourself and sticking to what you want. If you are afraid of marriage, stop and think about what will change if you marry your partner. After all, at some point, getting married is just a piece of paper. If you and your partner have been living together for some time, you already live like a married couple. Seeing things from this perspective can help you overcome the fear of marriage.
Think logically about all of the positive things that would come out of being married. You will get to have a family, raise your children with your spouse, gain family members from your spouses’ side and you might even be looking forward to some aspects of the wedding ceremony itself.
You have to pinpoint what is scaring you about marriage. Is it the marriage that is scary? Or do you have a fear of the wedding itself? If you are afraid of the wedding but not the marriage, there are ways around that. Weddings can be very flexible. If you are uncomfortable with the idea of friends and family surrounding you on that day, you can even get married with just you and your partner in court. Don’t let fears of minor things get in the way of a lifelong relationship and a good marriage.
One of the best ways to get over a fear or phobia is to expose yourself to that fear. Going to weddings can be a great way to help you get over your fear of marriage. Being around weddings and happy couples will help you change the way you look at marriage. It can also be helpful to go to anniversary parties, especially those over the 20-year mark. These parties can help you see that some are indeed forever and happy and a good marriage is possible.
When the fear of marriage is a phobia that leads to high anxiety and panic attacks, sometimes additional intervention is needed to overcome the fear. While there are no treatments specifically designed or approved for gamophobia, there are some treatments that psychologists and psychiatrists can conduct to make improvements to your real life.
There are several ways you can tackle the fear of marriage. One of the most effective ways is to engage in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with a therapist. The therapist can help you recognize why you have this fear of marriage, and teach you to become aware of how this fear manifests in your relationships.
Exposure therapy is another common way to overcome your phobia. If you place yourself in situations that constantly expose you to marriages, such as weddings, anniversary parties, or simply being around married people, your fear will begin to feel less and less intense.
It is certainly normal to experience some degree of anxiety when it comes to marriage, whether on the proposal, the wedding day, or the idea of commitment. After all, a first-time marriage is a completely new experience, and it is common for new experiences to induce anxiety. However, a fear of marriage is no longer normal when it interferes with your relationships or everyday life.
If you are afraid of committing to your long-term partner, have trouble maintaining meaningful relationships, or have anxiety or panic attacks when attending weddings or thinking about marriage, you may want to seek professional help to address your fear.
There are some questions you should ask yourself to help you realize if you want to get married. Do you see yourself leaving your partner? Are you happy around them, and do they appear happy around you? Do you feel like you can commit to them without backing out? Can you imagine living the rest of your life without them? It can be helpful to write out the answers to these questions to think more clearly about them.
Another important aspect of overcoming your fear of marriage is finding out if you are marrying the right person. Can you imagine your life without your partner? Does this life feel bleak and empty, or do you feel some sort of relief without them? Does your partner make you happy and treat you with respect? Do they validate your concerns, or do they put you down? Do they challenge you to grow and become a better person? These questions can help you realize if you and your partner are ready for marriage.
A healthy marriage is a beautiful thing. In a good marriage, you will enjoy peace, love, happiness, comfort, and stability. In a good marriage, your partner stands by your side, supports you, encourages you, and respects you. However, you both should challenge each other to grow and learn everyday. Some people fear that the stability of marriage will feel like monotony, but the right partner will provide a dynamic energy, as well as a sense of comfort that most people desire.