How to Overcome Fear of Birds

Ornithophobia is an irrational and extreme fear associated with birds when in fact there is no danger. This fear provokes anxiety and tends to lead to bird-avoidant behaviors. ^{[1] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source} You may experience a fear or phobia and have physical symptoms of fear such as heart palpitations, sweating, and also you will fall into a feeling of helplessness when you are around the birds. ^{[2] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to the source} However, if this fear affects getting to work in the morning or causes you to choose the longest route to avoid seeing the birds, it has affect your normal life. Therefore, you should consider getting help, such as dealing with them yourself or seeking professional treatment.

Table of Contents

Prepare a strategy to overcome fear

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Learn about exposure therapy. The most effective way to start eliminating your fear of birds is to expose yourself to them. The goal of exposure is to gradually reduce the fear response through prolonged exposure. ^{[3] X Research Source Research} has shown that exposure therapy—in its various forms—is highly effective for phobias. ^{[4] X Sources of Research} There are different exposure therapies, and the usual approach is to start with the ones that cause you the least fear. ^{[5] X Research Resources} Exposure therapies that can help you overcome fear include: ^{[6] X Sources of Research}

Imaginary exposure- It is closing your eyes and imagining birds or a situation where you are around the birds in vivid detail.
Realistic Exposure -This type of exposure means you have to face your fears in real life. In this case, you will have to be around real birds.

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Think about why you are afraid of birds. Most phobias are “conditioned” reactions, meaning that you have experienced it through your external environment. You are not born afraid of birds. Take a moment to uncover the source of your fear of birds.

Journaling helps, because writing down your thoughts will help you process information more slowly and more thoroughly.
Review your most recent bird fears. Is there an experience that has given you a lifelong obsession with birds?
Have you always been afraid of birds? If not, recall the most positive or normal memories you had of birds before they became the source of your fear.

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List triggers for fear. When you feel uncomfortable, you won’t be able to control your stress or get rid of it until you fully understand its source. ^{[7] X Research Sources} What distinctive features of birds cause you the greatest fear? Here are some common triggers for acrophobia: ^{[8] X Research Sources}

They swooped down from above
The way they flap their wings
The way they walk on the ground
Fear of getting infected by contact with birds can carry diseases
How they approach humans in search of leftovers

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Create a hierarchy of your obsessions. Creating hierarchy will provide you with a roadmap to get rid of your fear of birds. It is simply a list of bird-related activities. This list usually starts with the species that you find the least frightening and ends with the species that you find the most frightening. Your personal hierarchy will be unique, based on the specific species you fear or your fear triggers. Remember that you are an expert at experiencing fear, so creating a hierarchy will help. This fear hierarchy can also serve as a way to track your progress as you go from one level of exposure therapy to another. Here is an example of a hierarchy of fear of birds: ^{[9] X Research Sources}

Draw a bird
Look at a black and white photo of a bird
Look at the color photo of a bird
Watch bird videos without sound
Watch a bird video with sound
Looking at a bird in the backyard with binoculars
Sit outside where there are many birds
Visit a bird show at the zoo or in a pet store
Participate in a bird show or skillfully feed the birds
Taking care of a friend’s pet bird

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Familiarize yourself with your bird discomfort scale. Another useful tool that can measure your progress is the discomfort scale. This scale is used to track how uncomfortable you are during each exposure. ^{[10] X Research Source} It gives you a basis for assessing how influential each level of the bird fear hierarchy is, as well as just letting you know when you might be ready to move on. The next level. Consider the discomfort scale below: ^{[11] X Research Source}

0-3: At 0, you are completely relaxed, at 3 you feel a little nervous, this is noticeable, however at this level it has nothing to do with your normal life.
4-7: At level 4, you are a bit scared, and this feeling is starting to make you a little uncomfortable. At level 7, you are quite scared, this feeling begins to affect your ability to focus and function in a certain situation.
8-10: At level 8, you are extremely scared and unable to concentrate due to this exposure. At level 10, you are on the verge of extreme fear, which can lead to panic.

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Determine progress toward goals within the fear hierarchy. Besides exposure therapy, you can also decide the pace of your therapy. Here are two common speeds at which you can control exposure: ^{[12] X Research Source}^{[13] X Research Source}

Hierarchical Exposure – This method is more common and requires progressing slowly along your hierarchy, and you only move up to the next level of the ladder when these exposures don’t frighten you . You will advance to the next step of the hierarchy when your current annoyance level is 0-3.
Exposure Flooding – This is when a person starts with the items at the top of the fear hierarchy with the items they find most irritating. If you are interested in this method, you should probably do it under the guidance of a therapist rather than alone.

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Familiarize yourself with relaxation techniques. ^{[14] X Research Source} As you work your way through the fear hierarchy, a stress response is bound to emerge. These relaxation techniques will help you stay calm during the exposure. Keeping your mind relaxed, focusing on your breathing, and focusing on relaxing your muscles can reduce panic to a 7 on the discomfort scale.

You can find more information on how to stay calm during exposure in the article on how to calm down.

Overcoming fear of birds

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Get in touch with the first targets at the bottom of the fear hierarchy. For most people, the entry at the bottom of the fear hierarchy is dealt with through imaginary exposure. ^{[15] X Research Source} Start by simply closing your eyes and imagining a bird.

Remember that your hierarchy is just for you. Your fear may be an imaginary exposure that produces a zero on the discomfort scale, but for others it may start with imagining a cartoon bird because one Real birds can spook them up to level 8.

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Continue with the imaginary exposures in your hierarchy. Start with simple pictures of various birds on a scale of 0-3 on the discomfort scale, continuing with the rest of the scale imaginary. Also, try to describe the events you imagine by describing the facts in words, this will help you have more authentic experiences. ^{[16] X Research Source} You can imagine something like this:

You describe birds by picturing them perched on a telephone line outside the house or the fence behind the house.
Imagine you are in a situation, like in a park, with birds 6 meters away.
Imagine yourself feeding the ducks or geese with bread at the lake.
Finally, imagine you are actually taking care of a friend’s pet bird.
Maintain imaginary contact in your hierarchy until you feel the fear slowly disappear.
If in your fear hierarchy, watching a video of a bird is lower than imagining facing the bird, you can still do it in that order. You don’t need to do the imaginary exposure first if your fear hierarchy isn’t in that order. Honestly ask yourself which order works best for you.

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Exposure to virtual items that are above your fear hierarchy. For most people, virtual contact with birds is a step higher in the fear hierarchy than imagining. Once you can imagine birds and yourself being surrounded by birds doesn’t make you feel too anxious, move on to the next entry in the fear hierarchy. Virtual contact with birds that induce a fear response includes: ^{[17] X Research Sources}

Draw the birds (it is recommended to start with a sketch with the small birds, then draw more details with the large birds)
Look at pictures of birds (first in black and white, then in color)
Listen to recorded bird songs
Watch a bird video (start with a video without sound then move on to a video with sound)
Remember to make a brief note of discomfort on the discomfort scale for each step. Your goal is to reduce discomfort to less than 3 (hopefully to 0) for each virtual contact.

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Try interacting with birds in real life. Goals at the top of the hierarchy are often real-life experiences with real birds. Once you’ve mastered the fantasy and have had virtual contact with birds, try exposing them to reality that you believe will generate the least amount of fear. This is as simple as using binoculars to observe a bird outside a window (you are, of course, in a safe place in the house). ^{[18] X Research Sources}

As you begin to get used to seeing real birds within the uncomfortable range of 0-3 of the scale, try opening a window and observing them. ^{[19] X Research Source}

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Observe a bird from the open door. After watching a bird through the window no longer has a strong effect on you, then try the next step—In this case, walk out the door. Walk and watch the birds around. Note that if the distance from you to the door producing the unpleasant response is higher than level 3, then stop there. Stand there watching the birds until you start to feel the fear disappear then keep going. Move closer to the birds while controlling your comfort level. ^{[20] X Research Source}

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Continue to make the actual exposure higher in the hierarchy. Basically, the items at the top of the fear hierarchy will largely depend on your specific fear, as well as the levels of fear you want to overcome. Your ultimate goal might be to walk past a flock of pigeons without panicking, while someone else’s goal might be to care for a friend’s pet bird without anxiety. . Continue with the rest of the goals in the hierarchy by direct contact until you feel better, and your discomfort scale drops to 3 or less.

If you find yourself struggling, remember that you can always change your fear hierarchy. For example, standing in front of a parrot’s cage no longer annoys you, but the thought of being alone with a larger bird still frightens you to the point of 8. Try finding a friend. Accompany her to a pet store and take care of smaller birds, like parakeets.

Warning

If your fear still doesn’t go away and/or becomes overwhelming, consider seeing your doctor or talking to a therapist. In addition to teaching you the right treatments to help you overcome your fear, your therapist may also prescribe anxiety medications to make exposure therapy less stressful and easier. than.

Steps

Prepare a strategy to overcome fear

Overcoming fear of birds

Warning

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