2 Simple Things You Can Do to Reduce Your Fear

April 30, 2013
splatter question by bessarro at sxc.hu

splatter question by bessarro at sxc.hu

Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itselfnameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. – Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address – March 4, 1933

Fear is a trigger that pulls you right into a victim mentality. It is such a strong trigger that you may find it difficult to get back out again. Here, I share my own experience dealing with fear. By getting out of it fast, you reduce the time you spend in a victimizing self-image.

Note: Keep in mind that this post is designed to alleviate fear in non-deadly, non-urgent situations. It is not meant to be a guide to self-defense or to teach lightning-fast reaction skills necessary in deadly scenarios. While some of the principles may cross over, those situations require more intensive preparation and training. It also does not deal with phobias, which are usually based on easy to see stimuli (heights, the band KISS, etc)

Fear does two things to your body, and to your progress in life.

  1. It slows or stops your movements
  2. It throws a situation in your face that you know little about

Fear = Ignorance + Paralysis

IGNORANCE:

The scariest part of any horror movie is when?

The part leading up to when you finally see the monster.

What happens next? A sharp spike in surprise and panic – then you adjust.

So he’s an humanoid alien with a huge head, thinks Ripley. I can work with that.

So the KKK guy is actually a fat old-timey pharmacist wearing a white hood.

Nothing can compete with what’s in your head, that’s why things are scarier when we cannot see them. That’s why death is so scary. Nobody truly knows what happens. Sure, as a Christian I can tell you what I believe, but I’ve never actually died. There is a great unknown that we cannot reach without crossing a line and not coming back.

PARALYSIS:

I once hit an elk at sixty miles an hour. The beast managed to stop in front of the road when it saw me coming – then proceeded to crap on the hood as it tried to jump away.

To this day, I call that experience a ‘drive-by s***ting’.

Thank God I was not only okay, but the car worked well enough to take me the remaining 60 miles between Boise and Sun Valley.

Mademoiselle Elk reinforced what I already learned from body language books. Fear makes you seize up before you can react. It’s called tonic immobility.

This happens in your brain too, but the paralysis in your decision-making can last much longer.

While you do not want to react to the problem emotionally, you need to keep moving. That’s why activity and work is so helpful for the mind.

Take a small step. Regardless of how small it may seem. Before you know it, you’ll be taking larger steps. Finally, with most of your fear gone, you’ll see enough of the road in front of you to be confident again.

How do you beat fear the next time you are afraid?

  • Learn more about the situation.
  • Get moving again.

If this seems hard, tell yourself that you can go back to being afraid after you take a few forward steps and get more information. Chances are, you’ll be afraid again. We all are.

Have you realized anything similar to this in your own experiences with fear? Let me know in the comments

75 responses to 2 Simple Things You Can Do to Reduce Your Fear

  1. Interesting. I got the same frozen reaction when I hit a dog at 70 miles per hour. But that’s still not as dangerous as hitting an elk.

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