What we humans have are a handful of emotions from various directions, triggers and reasons. Clinically, fear is just another emotion. These emotions are triggered to get a reaction from us to take action. They’re hardwired into our brains to warn us of danger, to prepare us mentally or physically.
What we live in is a world fuelled by fear. The media plays us as pawns, by injecting fear to manipulate anxiety. This to get higher ratings.
Marketers will infuse the fear of scarcity to sell more product. Government inject fear to generate order, while parents instill fear for discipline.
Fear is the key emotion that’s interwoven into our lives. It’s prevalent everywhere, it’s more active than any other feeling we have.
It directly influences the choices we make, which are usually frantic ones, as fear usually blindsides us unexpectedly.
The Fear Of Fear
The decisions we make which are motivated by fear are usually flawed, shortsighted and often impulsive.
Nothing good usually comes from choices we make based on fear, nothing which enhances our lives for the better.
So the question remains, which emotional triggers influences the choices you make on a daily basis in your life.
Are these emotional responses healthy ones, or are they fuelled by fear.
Fear Rarely Sees The Upside
Every choice you make in life usually has an upside and a downside. Those who live in fear only reacts to just the “bad” things that could happen, and will choose them.
If you’re going on a date for the first time based on fear, you will think it’ll be boring, awkward and he/she won’t like you.
If you’re going for a job interview, you might think you’re not qualified. All fear warns us about is the negative pain and the failure side of life.
Fear Forces You To Think Erratically
Fear doesn’t allow you to stop and think things through properly. It tells you to react immediately and often erratically. It forces you to make the wrong or poor decisions.
The core concept of “fight or flight” is based on fear.
What overcoming fear gives you is the time and the luxury of deciding correctly, by thinking logically.
You don’t need to accept that “low ball” offer on the house. You can do more research, if you need to do a medical procedure.
Fear Of The Unknown
In the past, fear existed because our ancestors faced life or death situations on a daily basis. Today, we feel fear once we step out of our comfort zone.
What fear prefers is we stay as familiar and safe as possible, regardless of how unproductive or painful the situation may be.
Fear despises we become proactive, to become bold and step out into the great unknown.
For instance, the handcuffs of fear dictates we stay at that dead end job, or remain in that abusive or boring relationship because it’s familiar.
Fear Blunts Our Progress
What fear does is it discourages us from smiling at strangers, or offering our opinion out loud, because of the fear of rejection or ridicule.
Instead of pushing ourselves outside our comfort zone, what fear encourages is we avoid any and all potential failure.
For instance, you have that great new business idea. You want to ask someone out on a date, apply for that job or promotion. But fear turning into procrastination holds you back.
If fear completely ran your life, you would most like hide under the bed sheets all day long, instead of reaching for your happiness.
Fear Deters Your Better Intuition
Those who are brave, will make bold decisions based on their gut instincts. For others, there’s a small persistent nagging voice of fear that’s always present and usually negative.
All you hear are those annoying messages on repeat, which festers in the back of your mind.
Once your heart and mind becomes consumed with fear, any “gut instinct” becomes difficult if not impossible to recognize.
Fear Stops You From Taking Action
What you’ll always find are excuses not to do something, this when fear rules your life.
What someone once said was, “If you don’t choose your own path, then one will be chosen for you.”
Fear becomes the biggest villain for many who procrastinates, where they face the fear of making any type of decision, which paralyzes them.
While there are some individuals who are capable of making decisions, what fear does is it keeps the majority second guessing themselves.
What this usually results in is doing nothing. Ultimately, not making a decision is also a decision.
How To Overcome Fear
First, give yourself a bit of time and space once you begin to hear the voices of fear and doubt, when you need to make a decision.
Just hear it out, and then take action or let it pass. Don’t be so hard on yourself.
One way is writing down the pros and cons on any major decision you need to make. Then wait until you’re in a better situation, especially if you’re uncertain.
Wait until your mind completely clears out and you’re more calm. This is when you’re capable of making sound decisions.
If The Fear Lingers
If the fear persists, then find ways to release it. Any type of fear that’s chronic, stems from some type of previous “root cause” event, which is held captive in your subconscious.
There are a series of mental exercises you can practice, certain processes which can help you rid of that unwanted fear.
What doing so does, is it allows you to make better more logical empowered decisions, instead of jumping to conclusions.
So become a big brave minded human, who’s not dictated by fear. Find the resolve to stop living a life governed by fear.
Never allow fear and its evil stepchild negativity, to hold you hostage from the freedom of living the life you deserve.