Methathesiophobia is a psychological condition in which any change in people's daily lives can be increasingly dreadful and terrifying to patients, to the point they can induce full-blown panic attacks. Being afraid of change and of the unknown is only natural, but for some can be too unbearable, typically after some great loss or trauma. When a 'normal' has taken so much effort to develop, and change has been associated with a worsening in conditions, an irrational fear of change can develop.
Although the past year does make a strong case for this being a rational fear, it simply isn't. Any betterment in conditions requires change. Change is not something to fear. In our personal lives, a lot has changed in the past, and a lot will change in the future. A natural consequence of the times we live in is that change will occur, rapidly and without our direct causation. It's up to us to shape this change, to try and make it for the better.
Featured image: Aarón Tejedor on Unsplash