{"id":17241,"date":"2018-08-20T14:00:13","date_gmt":"2018-08-20T21:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/datemixstaging.wpengine.com\/?p=17241"},"modified":"2022-07-06T03:19:38","modified_gmt":"2022-07-06T10:19:38","slug":"sarmassophobia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/sarmassophobia\/","title":{"rendered":"Sarmassophobia: Fear of Dating is a Real Thing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sure, it’s fun to say\u2014and might look like a term out of a Dr. Seuss book instead of a textbook\u2014but Sarmassophobia is quite real and it affects a lot of people. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarmassophobia is defined as the fear of dating and relationships. Translated literally, it\u2019s the fear of love play. It\u2019s considered to be a social phobia focused on the fear of situations, objects, activities, or people involved in kissing, dating, or flirting. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The fear of getting out there and going on dates can be a little embarrassing, so many people use other excuses to mask the symptoms of Sarmassophobia. Saying they\u2019re “just happy being single” is one of them. Or saying they “don’t like blind dates” after a coworker tries to hook them up with someone is another. But these are also super normal things that a lot of us do. So how do you know the difference? <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s what you need to know about what Sarmassophobia really looks like:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s often due to a fear of getting pregnant.<\/b>
\n<\/span>Even if this is just a first date with no expectation of a goodnight hug, for many people Sarmassophobia is linked to a fear of pregnancy or fear of sex. If someone\u2019s been sexually active and had a scare, or if they assume that the first time being intimate will lead to pregnancy, it makes sense for them to want to back off. It won’t cure Sarmassophobia, but talking to a doctor and getting on birth control\u2014even if they don\u2019t plan to partake in sexual activity\u2014may be a good way to feel a little better. That way, the person will feel like they have control over the situation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can come from an underlying fear that sex is bad. <\/b>
\n<\/b>This one depends on the person\u2019s upbringing. Technically, Sarmassophobia is a fear of “love play,” meaning that everything from dating to sex is scary. If someone assumes that everyone will expect them to have sex, and they’ve been told that sex is bad by their parents or religious teachers, it can create these types of fears. No matter what, someone\u2019s sex life is in their own hands. There’s no shame in keeping your virginity until marriage, if that’s what you truly want. But fear shouldn\u2019t hold you back from something you truly want either. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s something to talk to a professional about.<\/b>
\n<\/span>Therapy is helpful for pretty much everyone\u2014even people who think they have everything together, talking about feelings and emotions with someone who\u2019s there for you can make a big difference. Sarmassophobia is something that can get in the way of someone\u2019s life, so it’s important to make a change and find healthy ways to get over these fears.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, it stems from past trauma.
<\/b>Not all childhoods are happy\u2014that’s an upsetting, yet true fact.<\/span> According to Massive Phobia<\/span><\/a>, Sarmassophobia is an isolated phobia, meaning that there’s typically a root cause about why it exists in the first place. If someone was abused, or perhaps their very first relationship pushed a physical relationship earlier than they wanted, it may cause a fear of dating, intimacy, and sex. Again, it’s good to talk about these things with a therapist or counselor. They’re trained to help people move through these issues and maintain a healthy life.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGetting over it” will take some time.<\/b>
\n<\/span>Sarmassophobia is a real phobia that affects many people, mostly women, and it requires time and patience to work through. Psychosexual therapist and relationship counselor Krystal Woodbridge advises that nobody should force it. “<\/span>Every time you have a negative experience, it will make it worse,”<\/span> she said to <\/span>Grazia<\/span><\/i><\/a>. “Take a step back. If you had a phobia of snakes you wouldn’t jump into the snake nest.”<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you think you may have Sarmassophobia, don\u2019t let it take over your whole life. If you’ve thought about marriage and kids someday, but the fear of starting a new romance blocks the way, it’ll be much harder accomplishing those milestones if you don\u2019t address how you\u2019re feeling and learn to understand it. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s nothing wrong with Sarmassophobia. And there’s no shame in opening up about these issues. In fact, it\u2019s pretty brave. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sarmassophobia is defined as the fear of dating and relationships. Translated literally, it\u2019s the fear of love play.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":153,"featured_media":17242,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[884,891,898],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dating-advice","category-relationship-advice","category-relationship-problems"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSarmassophobia: Fear of Dating is a Real Thing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sarmassophobia is defined as the fear of dating and relationships. 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