Imaginary Danger: An Inexhaustible Source Of Fear
The problem in front of you may not pose a real danger. It may be that you create more fear than the situation itself requires. Sometimes your mind is your worst enemy because it creates an imaginary danger that seems very real.
When fear overwhelms you, your body activates a protective mechanism that prepares you for escape. For example, if you have to run, your heart will start beating faster. You sweat more, your breathing speeds up, your digestive and immune systems stop spending energy if you need to fight or escape. In addition, a large amount of blood collects in your feet if you need to run.
All of these reactions occur because of our survival instinct. It is a system that is ready to react quickly to danger. Thanks to this instinct , fear alerts us and keeps us active.
The problem with fear in modern society is that humans are no longer hunted by lions. On the contrary, many of the best-suited answers are intellectual or otherwise do not require physical effort. Yet our bodies react in the same way they have for centuries.
In that sense , there is a kind of danger that you should not waste energy on, and that is imaginary danger. What happens if the plane crashes? Do I lose my job at New Year’s? Is anyone following me on the street? Can my children go home alone? Will he / she break up with me?
These fears trigger the protection mechanism we mentioned earlier and keep your body alert. Your survival instinct causes blood pressure peaks that are completely useless because you will not have to flee.
Unnecessary fatigue from imagined danger
Researcher Robert Sapolsky explains that imaginary danger generates physiological and mental fatigue. The reason is the unconscious associations that you reinforce when they occur frequently. Interestingly, the mechanisms of fear in animals are activated only when the danger is real.
Just as your imagination can activate these mechanisms, it can also stop them. If you can imagine all the negative things that can happen to you, you can also do the opposite. You can use your will to calm your body by imagining all the positive things that can also happen.
By controlling your thoughts, you have the power to prevent your heart from rushing. You can calm your tense muscles and sweaty palms. These expressions of fear are unpleasant and they do not help when your problem is intellectual.
Fear can set the bar high
The feeling of fear protects you. But it also makes it difficult to leave your comfort zone. Because of your survival instinct, your brain activates the mechanism of fear every time you are in a potentially dangerous situation. The purpose is to protect you from expected damage.
On the other hand, if you know and understand your fears, you will be aware of them. That way, you can make sure they never control what you do. You have to listen to and understand the feeling. Do not follow it blindly. Evaluate the risks of your new, unknown situation, as well as what you can gain. Often it is actually worth the risk.
You can not just give up every time your mechanism of fear is activated. Find tools to deal with scary situations. It gives you much better results.
Fear is a feeling that you can not completely eliminate from your life. You should not do that either! But it is in your power to identify when a danger is real, or when it is just a fantasy product. Fear sometimes protects you. On the other hand, the ability to ignore it and take a chance is what keeps us alive and afloat.
