An Imaginary Danger Is An Inexhaustible Source Of Fear
The problem may have nothing to do with any real danger that awaits you. You may be creating more fear than the situation itself calls for. Sometimes your mind is your worst enemy. This is because your mind creates an imaginary danger that seems very real.
When fear engulfs your body, the body activates a protective system that prepares you to flee. For example, your heart starts to beat faster in case you need to run. You sweat more and your breathing speeds up. The digestive and immune systems stop expending the energy you may need to fight or flee. In addition, a large amount of blood collects in your feet so that you can use it to walk away.
All of these reactions occur as a result of our survival instinct. It is a system ready to react quickly to danger. Thanks to this instinct, fear makes us alert and keeps us active.
In modern society, the problem with fear is that we are no longer being chased by lions. On the contrary, many of the best adapted reactions are intellectual or require no physical effort at all. Yet your body reacts the same way it has for centuries.
There is one danger you should not waste energy on and that is an imaginary danger. What will happen if the plane crashes? Will I lose my job at the end of the year? Is someone chasing me down the street? Can my children come home on their own? Will he or she end our relationship?
These fears activate the system we talked about earlier. It makes your body vigilant. Your survival instinct causes spikes in blood pressure. Those are completely useless since you don’t intend to run away.
An imaginary danger leads to unnecessary fatigue
Scientist Robert Sapolsky explains how an imaginary danger causes physiological and mental fatigue. The reason is that you reinforce the unconscious associations when they occur frequently. It is interesting to know that the fear mechanisms in animals are only activated when the danger is real.
So your imagination can activate these systems. However, it can also make them stop. If you can imagine all the negative things that can happen to you, you can also do the opposite. You can use your willpower to calm your body. Then imagine all the positive things that could happen.
By controlling your thoughts, you have the power to stop your heart from racing. You can rest your tense muscles and sweaty palms. These signs of anxiety are annoying. They also don’t help when your problem is intellectual.
Fear can set the bar high
The sensation of fear protects you. However, it also makes it difficult to leave your comfort zone. Your brain is supported by your survival instinct. So they activate the fear system whenever they find themselves in a potentially dangerous situation. The goal is to protect us from foreseeable danger.
On the other hand, you can also be aware of your fears if you know and understand them. That way you can make sure they never take control of you. You have to listen to the emotion and understand it. Don’t just blindly follow your emotion. Evaluate the risks of your new unfamiliar situation. Also think about what you can get out of it. Often the risk is really worth it.
You just can’t give in every time your fear system kicks in. Find resources to handle frightening situations. It will give you much better results.
Fear is an emotion that you cannot completely remove from your life. And you better not do that either! However, you have the power to determine when a danger is real or when it is just a product of your imagination. Fear sometimes protects you. On the other hand, ignoring fear and taking a risk is exactly what keeps us alive.
