Military staff have jokingly said they are constantly in a state of “hurry up and wait.” Christmas shopping can be discouraging because of the long lines. Parents can be extremely frustrated waiting to see a doctor on behalf of their children. Waiting for an answer from a service provider can be frustrating. Waiting for an answer or service can cause some people to either rescind an offer or change their minds on a purchase. Road rage is an outgrowth of the inability to wait. When a personal has an unnatural fear of long waits they are said to have Macrophobia.
Waiting requires patience, but it can also be a vivid reminder that we are not ultimately in control of the things that happen to us. This is often a reason the frustration of wait turns into a phobia.
What Causes Macrophobia?
This fear is motivated by our inability to manipulate circumstances to our advantage. We can come to this place on our own when we feel totally helpless to create an agreeable atmosphere for our expectations. This phobia can be spurred to creation by extended or regular delays in lines at the airport or while shopping. This can also be problematic when an individual is waiting for an answer that is long delayed in coming.
An individual may also struggle with this phobia due to living with a relative who suffered from the same fear. The fear they modeled became an accepted life perspective. This can honestly become as accepted as a family faith perspective, political leaning or family social standing. If a parent fears long waits this will seem perfectly normal, acceptable and a correct life decision by children.
Symptoms of Macrophobia
An individual who lives with Macrophobia may be much more comfortable shopping online or having someone else do their shopping if only because they don’t want to entertain the idea of waiting in line. These individuals may appear selfish, but their insistence at not waiting can be the difference a calm exterior and a panic attack.
- Air hunger
- Sweating
- An urge to flee
- Trembling
- Fainting
- Feeling as if things are closing in on you
- Elevated heart rate
- Temporary elevation in body temperature
- Weeping
- Screaming
- Control loss
With all phobias there can even be a feeling of self-hatred because the individual feels that their reaction is unwarranted and proves they are defective as human beings. While the phobia should be dealt with there is no reason to believe that you are defective. Self acceptance can be a hard thing for those who live with phobias, but essential to healing.
How to Overcome Macrophobia
This phobia will require you to alter the way you think about things. You will often be placed in situations where waiting will be necessary. The positive outcome of such waiting will be patience. The negative outcome will be fear. A therapist can help you understand why you experience this fear and can help pinpoint the circumstances that led you to this place of high anxiety.
The fear of long waits is also referred to as:
- Long wait phobia
- Macrophobia
