Fear is an emotion that is designed to protect us from danger, but when it shows up as psychological worry or anxiety, it can be a paralyzing and crippling companion.
If we think back to the caveman days, seeing a lion that is very intent on eating us would trigger fear that would then turn on the stress response (also known as fight-or-flight), which would increase the heart rate, get the blood and adrenaline pumping, and enable us to run for our life. And when we escape the danger, the stress response is turned off and our body returns to balance. But currently in our society we are faced with various stressors, and we tend to turn on the stress response psychologically by worrying about and fearing rejection, failure, loneliness, loss of control, misery, the unknown, dying, and so on. The mind will often continue to keep the fear alive through thoughts of worry and anxiety, keeping the stress response turned on, which can result in the following symptoms:
· Restlessness, being on edge
· Being easily fatigued
· Difficulty concentrating
· Irritability
· Muscle tension
· Sleeplessness, nightmares
· Avoidance of people, places, or situations that we fear
Sometimes the fear can be so great, that it can result in a panic attack, which can be experienced as:
· Chest pain, pounding heart, shortness of breath
· Chills or hot flushes
· Fear of losing control or dying
· Dizziness, or fainting
· Nausea or abdominal distress
· Sweating, trembling, or shaking
So how do we pull the plug on fear?
By looking inside and compassionately facing the part of us that is afraid. Sensing the fear in our bodies, feeling it, and breathing into it will cause the fear to subside. This could also be a great time to write out an inventory of our fears, noticing if there are any themes or links, particularly to our early development or family of origin. Sometimes the seeds of fear are planted early on, and it takes awareness in the present moment to dissolve them.
If you try the above approach and still find yourself stuck in the fear cycle, you may want to consider clinical counselling, which has been proven to free people from fear and anxiety.
If we think back to the caveman days, seeing a lion that is very intent on eating us would trigger fear that would then turn on the stress response (also known as fight-or-flight), which would increase the heart rate, get the blood and adrenaline pumping, and enable us to run for our life. And when we escape the danger, the stress response is turned off and our body returns to balance. But currently in our society we are faced with various stressors, and we tend to turn on the stress response psychologically by worrying about and fearing rejection, failure, loneliness, loss of control, misery, the unknown, dying, and so on. The mind will often continue to keep the fear alive through thoughts of worry and anxiety, keeping the stress response turned on, which can result in the following symptoms:
· Restlessness, being on edge
· Being easily fatigued
· Difficulty concentrating
· Irritability
· Muscle tension
· Sleeplessness, nightmares
· Avoidance of people, places, or situations that we fear
Sometimes the fear can be so great, that it can result in a panic attack, which can be experienced as:
· Chest pain, pounding heart, shortness of breath
· Chills or hot flushes
· Fear of losing control or dying
· Dizziness, or fainting
· Nausea or abdominal distress
· Sweating, trembling, or shaking
So how do we pull the plug on fear?
By looking inside and compassionately facing the part of us that is afraid. Sensing the fear in our bodies, feeling it, and breathing into it will cause the fear to subside. This could also be a great time to write out an inventory of our fears, noticing if there are any themes or links, particularly to our early development or family of origin. Sometimes the seeds of fear are planted early on, and it takes awareness in the present moment to dissolve them.
If you try the above approach and still find yourself stuck in the fear cycle, you may want to consider clinical counselling, which has been proven to free people from fear and anxiety.
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