Sedatephobia and avoiding intrusive thoughts

When our minds are in an unpleasant state, we tend to use music, podcasts, videos, and white noise to distract ourselves from our thoughts. It's helpful to be able to divert our attention away from intrusive thoughts, but there are certain drawbacks when avoiding them at all costs.

In this article, we'll discuss the resemblance between sedatephobia and the avoidance of intrusive thoughts.

Humans are conscious beings which, among other things, makes us aware of our internal thoughts. We may assume that if someone seeks to escape their thoughts, that the thoughts themselves are unpleasant. People with AD(H)D or obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD) are more likely to experience this since they cope with intrusive thoughts. Avoiding internal thoughts and especially silence altogether can be an indication of sedatephobia.

Sedatephobia

Someone with the fear of silence, also known as sedatephobia, experiences panic attacks when sitting in a completely silent room. Someone with this phobia will take every chance to disrupt the silence, sometimes by screaming or banging on objects to produce sound.

Sedatephobia is related to insomnia. As one might expect, those who suffer from this phobia have difficulty sleeping. They need the aid of a loud fan or music to be able to sleep. As a result, sleeping with a constant background noise drowns out the silence. Background noise can also help people sleep that don't suffer from this phobia. The sound distracts the mind from anxious or intrusive thoughts.

Read more on: Why does Someone with BPD have Intrusive Thoughts while Trying to Sleep?

If you suffer from sedatephobia, you should seek treatment from a professional who specializes in anxiety-disorder-related fears. You may have developed this anxiety as a result of an underlying trauma from an early age. Sedatephobia affects a small percentage of the population. However, some of the characteristics associated with this phobia are becoming increasingly common in our current society.

Avoiding intrusive thoughts

Since we feel the constant need to be stimulated by social media, it feels unnatural when being in a quiet environment. We instantly divert the mind when stillness arises. In our current society, distraction is so easily accessible, which is beneficial for many reasons. However, it becomes addicting to suppress our thoughts, and we weaken the mind when we neglect our internal problems.

If you find yourself suppressing your thoughts, give yourself a challenge and observe what happens when it's just you and the silence. You'll probably have some unpleasant feelings and feel it necessary to break the silence as soon as possible, perhaps by reaching for your phone. Acknowledge that this is a maladaptive coping mechanism. You can develop anxiety disorders and become too dependent on people or objects if you react to a stressful situation in a maladaptive way. As a result, problematic behavioral patterns develop.

If you find yourself listening to music or other comparable noises in inconvenient ways or settings, you may be dealing with something more severe than just a coping mechanism.

If you're interested in reading another article on a different phobia, here's one on Athazagoraphobia, the fear of being forgotten.