Fear & Anxiety – Don’t Get Stomped

Some of the problems I have are real challenges. Legitimate concerns. This is fear.

It usually involves a tangible object or situation. Fear requires a subject producing the fear. A real threat.

Most of my problems, however, are possibilities, contingencies, “what if’s”, future oriented, and sometimes straight made up.

This is anxiety. Worry over possible bad outcomes.

Fear serves a purpose.

In evolutionary terms it was healthy to have fear. If you were too relaxed back in the day you would get stomped on by a woolly mammoth.

Our brain is hardwired to pick up danger and keep us on our toes.

However, our world has become relatively safe; statistically speaking this is the safest period in human history in terms of physical threats and danger. It still sucks for many…. but many of us are NOT in immediate danger.

So what does a hyper-vigilant human brain do when there is no immediate threat?

It makes one up…creates a monster when there is no monster.

Lurking in the shadows

Anxiety…is fear focused on shadows and possibilities. Some shadows are more tangible than others and some more pressing than others.

Some are just 100% made up.

Unchecked anxiety builds and builds and becomes a monster all it’s own. Then we worry about worry. We become anxious about being anxious.

We can own our fear.

I have fear. However, I don’t want to be consumed by anxiety.

Today in the United States, fear and anxiety disorders are together the most common psychiatric problem, affecting roughly 20 percent of all Americans at a cost of more than $40 billion in lost productivity every year.

Awareness of the difference between anxiety and fear; rational and irrational may help.

Journaling on these differences can most certainly help.

Then there’s the whole underlying trauma issue….. but we won’t get into that right now.