How to Overcome the Fear of Failure: Embracing Growth and Resilience

When you put effort into anything and spend sleepless nights to be successful, failure can be heart-breaking and scary. But if you are constantly afraid of a negative outcome in anything you intend to do, you confirm to yourself that your fear is valid.

However, fear of failure is a common feeling that we all experience in some phases of our lives. But, when it becomes persistent and extreme, and we have no clue about how to overcome the fear of failure, it is called atychiphobia.

This post is all about the fear of failure, why it happens, and how to overcome it.

Table of Contents

What is Atychiphobia?

Atychiphobia^[1] is an extreme level of fear of failure. It comes from the Greek word “atyches,” meaning “unfortunate.” Atychiphobia is more than just hesitation; it’s a full-blown psychological condition where fear of failure prevents someone from pursuing anything that might lead to failure.

People with atychiphobia may avoid any situation where they see a potential for failure, such as an exam or job interview. Failing can trigger feelings of worthlessness, and hold people back in their endeavors. That is why understanding its root cause and how to overcome the fear of failure is vital.

Let’s explore what causes the fear of failure, its symptoms, and how to overcome it in different phases of your lives.

The Fear of Failure in Psychology

In psychology, the fear of failure emanates from our need not to face the negative emotions associated with embarrassing ourselves, disappointment, or rejection of things nobody likes^[2]. Often enough, it is not the failure that terrifies us, but rather all these feelings attached to such a situation.

This can be related, in psychology, to one reaction of fight or flight. Our brains perceive failure as some sort of threat, and instead of facing it, we retreat. It is more plausible to observe this situation occurring in cases of atychiphobia: an extreme fear of failure.

Characteristics of The Fear of Failure

Fear of failure can produce emotional, behavioral as well as physical symptoms^[3]. Some of the common signs of this fear include:

Anxiety
Avoidance
Feeling a loss of control
Helplessness
Powerlessness
Rapid Heart Rate
Chest Tightness
Dizziness
Sweating
Digestive Problems

The Fear of Failure: Symptoms You Can’t Ignore

Fear of Failure is a feeling that happens in several situations and several aspects of your life. Therefore, it is important to identify symptoms. Here are some ordinary signs that fear might be holding you back:

Procrastination: Procrastination is linked with fear of failure^[4]. You put things off, not because you’re lazy, but in most cases, because you’re afraid you won’t get the expected outcome. This behavior is a common trait in people dealing with procrastination anxiety disorder. A condition whereby fear paralyzes progress. For example, many students would not study for the exam out of fear that they will fail and thus make it even worse. The fear of failure creates procrastination, which in turn brings anxiety making a vicious cycle.
Frequent Toilet Rounds: If you always feel bad bowel movements or stomach cramps when you are about to go to an important event or just before your presentation or any performance. Then, it is more likely because your fear of failure is triggered.
Self-sabotage: In such scenarios, people make excuses for not trying, or else they carve into their subconscious the notion that they will not succeed. So the effort of trying is useless.
Stress & Anxiety: Experiencing stress and anxiety to complete or start certain tasks like having headache, muscular pain, etc.
Avoiding challenges: If you are just involved in tasks, you know and avoid everything that seems impossible, this could be one of the symptoms of having the fear of failure.

The Real Reasons You’re Afraid to Fail

A fear of failure can have many reasons. Some potential causes include:

Critical Upbringing

If your parenting was based on finding your faults rather than praising you for your efforts, there are high chances, you will live with a feeling of fear. The fear of making mistakes in whatever you do.

Definitions of Failure

People often have different definitions of what failure means. Some people consider being a failure when the outcome of their efforts doesn’t match their expectations. When we create a defined statement of our expectations and stick to them, fear of failure is natural to come.

Genetics

Fear of failure is also influenced by genetic factors. If your family members have anxiety conditions and their actions are always based on the fear of being failed. Then, you might be more likely to develop fears and anxieties yourself.

Perfectionism

Perfectionists often have a fear of failure because they fear not reaching the high standards they’ve set^[3]. They may experience an intense fear of failing because of this.

While everyone may be afraid of failing from time to time, it becomes more serious when it inhibits your ability to pursue your goals and achieve the things you want to accomplish in life.

How the Fear of Failure is Ruining Your Potential

This fear of failure encompasses several dimensions in life, impacting an individual’s personal, professional, and academic activities^[4]. It can lead to a person not being fully intimate or vulnerable in personal relationships for fear of being rejected or disappointing a loved one.

Professionally, it shows up in the form of hesitancy towards new projects that are challenging to handle and holding oneself back from career advancement. In academic life, too, students may avoid challenging courses or opportunities because they may not be capable of living up to their academic expectations or disappointing teachers and peers.

The results of giving in to the fear of failure are far-reaching^[1]. This often leads to missed opportunities for growth and learning, as people often take safe and familiar paths rather than taking risks. It may also breed stagnation, feelings of low self-esteem, and lowered self-confidence over time. Professionally, this may translate into underachievement or career stagnation as people avoid leadership roles and innovative endeavors.

Coping with The Fear of Failure: Building Resilience and Confidence

There are also several strategies that you can use to help reduce feelings of fear about failure in different phases of your lives.

Overcome The Fear of Failure in Business (Example)

The fear of failure for a business owner or entrepreneur could be extreme. That again may be so because the stakes are higher: a certain fear of not wanting to let down an employee, an investor, or even your family prohibits one from taking the right risks.

How then does one overcome such fear of failure in business?

The very same principles apply: set smaller goals, learn from any mistakes, and don’t allow yourself to be paralyzed by fear. Most successful businesses have failed to some degree before finding success. What sets them apart is the ability to push through their fear and continue.

Overcome The Fear of Failure as Students (Example)

As students, it is very common to get nervous during examinations or assignments. However, if you have realized that you are a victim of the fear of failure, you are already on the right track to overcoming it.

The very first thing you need to understand is, that when your focus on achieving high grades shifts to acquiring the knowledge, your battle will be half-won. For example, if you’re exams are approaching and you are worried about failing it, plan to study a little each day instead of cramming at the last minute. This helps build confidence as you gradually understand the material.

Set a fixed routine to study every day and then divide the study time into 2 parts. Name one as learning new things and the other as revision. When your mindset changes from the result to enjoying the process, you will be detached from the outcome and all your energy will be channeled into learning. This will ultimately lead to great results.

If you feel stuck on some topic or are not motivated to study any subject, talk to a teacher or mentor for support and guidance. They can offer valuable advice to help you move forward. Lastly, visualize success. When your thoughts are aligned with the result, success is definite.

The Mindset Shift: Embracing Failure as a Path to Success

Consider the Outcomes

When you’re on a task or pursuing a goal, always have plan B ready with you. Keep in mind that if you get the worst possible outcome, you will take action with your plan B. This will reduce your anxiety and will also keep you motivated in your efforts.

Focus on the Things You Can Control

Believe, everything will happen for good and with this mindset, keep your focus on things you can control and manage rather than thinking about the situations or things you can’t manage.

Plan Ahead

When you are facing a challenge that might trigger your fear of failing, work on developing alternative plans just in case your initial efforts don’t go as planned. Having a plan B (or plan C) can help you feel less anxious and more secure.

Redefine Failure

Changing how you think about failure may also help reduce your feelings of fear. Recall the success stories of Thomas Edison, J.K. Rowling, and many such personalities who faced failure as their stepping stone to success. Success is often reached through a series of progressive failures that lead to new information, skills, and strategies.

Use Positive Thinking

Avoid negative self-talk that can undermine your confidence and create feelings of anxiety. Instead, work on thinking more like an optimist to keep your motivation high.

Visualization May Backfire

While visualization is often touted as a tool for success, research shows that this motivational strategy can backfire with people who have a high fear of failure. One study found that people with a strong fear of failing experienced strong negative moods after they engaged in an activity that involved visualizing success.

Final Thoughts

The fear of failure is an emotion and a natural sensation we all have. When you understand fear-of-failure psychology, recognize the symptoms, and employ strategies for pushing through, you learn how to overcome the fear of failure.

References

[1] Cleveland Clinic. Atychiphobia (Fear of Failure), Medically Reviewed, Last reviewed on 03/23/2022.

[2] Anna Katharina Schaffner, Ph.D. Psychology Theories About Fear of Failure, Scientifically reviewed by Maike Neuhaus Ph.D.

[3] Anna Katharina Schaffner, Ph.D. Common Symptoms of Fear of Failure Scientifically reviewed by Maike Neuhaus Ph.D.

[4] Sohrab Abdi Zarrin: University of Qom, Iran, Esther Gracia: University of Valencia, Spain, Maria Paula Paixão: University of Coimbra, Portugal. Prediction of Academic Procrastination by Fear of Failure and Self-Regulation, Revision received: 23 March 2020 & Accepted: 17 June 2020