Irrational fears
Although some anxiety is generalized, some is context specific. For example, generalized anxiety might present itself in any social situation whereas it could also be specific to one type of social interaction, such as job interviews. Common things that cause many people anxiety include flying in an airplane and speaking in front of an audience. These are understandable things to get anxious about. However, when this fear interrupts your ability to function and disrupts your life then it can cause problems.
One helpful thing to think about is how proportionate your fear to a certain situation or object is. For instance, it is common for a lot of people to be afraid of getting robbed if they leave their car doors unlocked, as an unlocked car is an easy target. However, obsessing over whether or not you remembered to lock your car door could be considered irrational since the chances of a car theft or robbery actually taking place is quite small.
One example of a fear that some have is the fear of spiders. Again, even if the fear is irrational (realistically spiders for the most part are harmless), it is context specific in that it tends to only be an issue when a spider is present. According to Sally Winston, “a person who’s afraid of snakes can go for years without having a problem… but then suddenly their kid wants to go camping, and they realize they need treatment.”
