Emetophobia makes me afraid of being around other people while norovirus rates are so high.
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Of all the cold-weather bugs and viruses that rip through Britons every winter season, just one strikes fear in me: norovirus. And with rates of the “winter vomiting bug” – a term that sends shudders through me – hitting a new high this winter, I am becoming more and more reluctant to leave the safety of my home with every passing day.
The number of people who have been hospitalised in England with the dreaded norovirus has risen for the fourth week in a row, increasing by 15% from the previous week’s average of 823 patients. An average of 950 hospital beds were filled each day last week by patients suffering from diarrhoea, vomiting and other symptoms related to the illness.
Most people would find those figures worrying, possibly even scary. But they make my blood run cold with abject terror. They trigger my lifelong emetophobia, a debilitating fear of vomit that makes me want to avoid being around other people when headlines like these take the spotlight.
While it is not known how many people live with emetophobia, it is thought to be relatively rare, affecting an estimated 0.1 to 8.8% of people in the UK.
It can be difficult to explain, because no one enjoys being nauseous or sick. However, for myself and other emetophobics, it’s not just that being sick is a horrible feeling. Even the thought of nausea makes my throat tighten with anxiety. I adore food, but I avoid most shellfish out of fear that a bad oyster will make me sick. If something looks or smells even a little bit off, I won’t touch it, because food poisoning is a risk.
Avoiding certain foods or being amongst people who are sick is typical of emetophobes.
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Catching norovirus, then, is a risk I cannot even begin to think about taking. I’ve heard the stories, especially from friends with children, about how it rips through the entire family with little mercy. At least two friends with young babies caught it in November and December, and there were only so many references to “hugging the toilet bowl” and “becoming hollow” I could take before I started to feel faint.
I now question the wisdom of getting onto a packed train carriage, entering a busy pub or visiting friends with children – even my own nieces. But I have a few coping mechanisms that help me to keep living my life as normally as I can, and some people who have a similar fear may find them useful.
How I cope with emetophobiaBuild my immunity
Norovirus is highly contagious, and if I were to come into contact with an infected person, it would be unlikely that I wouldn’t catch it, no matter how strong my immune system is. However, giving my body its best chance to defend itself against any illness does help me feel some peace of mind.
I regularly take immunity-boosting supplements such as vitamin C and vitamin D, and ensure my diet is rich in nutrients like zinc and selenium, including wholegrains, nuts and seeds, beans and fish.
Deep breathing
Breathing deeply can help with overcoming the panic that emetophobes feel.
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Living in London means encounters with sick are sometimes inevitable, particularly late at night when people are drunk. My phobia makes me react rashly sometimes, as fear takes over. If I see someone who looks like they are about to be sick, I try to give them as wide a berth as possible and have been known to run out of the train as soon as the doors open.
But while the panic can feel overwhelming when the blood is pounding in my ears, I find that deep breathing exercises help me calm down and feel like myself again. Sometimes it means taking very slow, deep breaths using the “box technique”: breathe in, hold your breath, breathe out, hold your breath again, and repeat.
Wear a face mask
Face masks might be less popular now than they were some five years ago, during COVID, but they are still highly useful for protecting ourselves and others against disease.
During the winter, when rates of colds, flu, and other winter bugs are high, I never leave home without a face mask to boost my body’s defences.
Talk about my fear
It can be difficult to open up about a fear that seems irrational. As I mentioned before, vomiting is not something anyone enjoys, but, if you are so afraid of being sick or of other people being ill within your vicinity that it stops you from living your life, then talking about it can be really helpful.
I have found that being open and honest about it has prompted friends to warn me if they or their children aren’t feeling well, so we can reschedule meeting up. It also means I have found a small online community of people who share my fears, and we can encourage one another to cope or get help if necessary.
Living with emetophobia may make the winter a little frightening, especially when norovirus seems to be around every corner, but it won’t stop me from living my life to the fullest.
With caution, of course.