All About Ergophobia, the Fear of Work, and How to Overcome it with Psychological Therapy & Counselling

What is Ergophobia?

Ergophobia is the Fear of Work and, like all other fears and phobias, can be a cause of significant anxiety and stress if you suffer from it.

Specifically, this phobia is the fear of ‘performing’ work.

There may be a number of reasons why you developed Ergophobia, for example:

• Negative experiences associated with Work in the past.
• Social anxiety due to the pressure to perform at work.
• Atelophobia – fear of making mistakes.
• Bullying problems at work (see mental health at work).

Furthermore, there is no scientific evidence that Ergophobia is the result of any kind of biological fault or chemical imbalance in spite of the traction that biomedical models of mental illness are given in the media.

On the contrary, Ergophobia is much more likely to be the result of your own, subjective evaluation (meaning-making) of what happened to you and is therefore better described as a psychosocial phenomenon.

Ergophobia Symptoms & Behaviours

All phobias, including Ergophobia, create feelings of anxiety because phobic objects or situations are always perceived as a threat.

Consequently, the symptoms of Ergophobia are both specific and generic and may include:

• Avoidance of Work.
• An elevated heart rate.
• A sense of dread about what might happen.
• Worrying that you might pass out.
• Feeling dizzy or disoriented.
• Heart palpitations.
• Having a dry or sticky mouth.
• Hot sweats.
• Feeling Stressed.
• Difficulty breathing easily.
• Feelings of panic.

You may have all, some or even different symptoms to these listed here and this is due to the subjective nature of Ergophobia.

However, you should also be aware that many of these somatic symptoms (symptoms felt in the body) WILL subside over time and rarely last for more than 20 to 30 minutes.

What Causes Ergophobia?

It’s possible that your Ergophobia may be the result of traumatic events or adverse situations that you experienced at some point in your life.

For example, you may have experienced problems at work such as bullying or unreasonable demands being placed upon you that have created an aversion or reluctance to go into work.

However, because a Fear of Work is by no means universal, the most likely explanation for your Ergophobia is the way you understood and made sense of your earlier experiences around which you have built a set of beliefs.

Counselling and Therapy for Ergophobia

We offer a number of different types of therapy and counselling for Ergophobia the Fear of Work.

Choosing the most suitable therapy depends on a number of different considerations including factors such as:

• How long you have had your phobia.
• Your personal preferences.
• How your phobia is affecting you today.

You can read more about the different types of therapy for Ergophobia on the following links:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Ergophobia
• Counselling for Ergophobia
• Pluralistic Therapy for the Fear of Work

Although all forms of psychotherapy use slightly different approaches, the one thing they all have in common is the relationship that is formed between the client and therapist.

Furthermore, research also suggests that the therapy relationship may be the most important factor in achieving a good therapy outcome.

Arrange your FREE initial consultation here.

If you’d like to find out more about overcoming Ergophobia or recovering from related mental health problems then why not arrange a free initial consultation with us.

During this consultation we will discuss your particular phobia and the different types of mental health counselling we offer without you having to commit to any counselling going forward.

The consultation lasts around 50 minutes and is a great opportunity to meet with either Paul or Joan and decide if you would like to proceed with any support.