Disabling Fear

Fear is a fight or flight response which is built into the human defense system inside the brain.  Inside our brains design is the amygdala where emotional learning, stress, memories and fear conditioning take place.   The amygdala is our 911 signal that is automatically activated when we perceive something as a threat - adrenaline is released, the heart pumps faster, breathing becomes more rapid to increase the intake of oxygen, we become hyper-vigilant to the danger, etc ..  

Basically the flight or fight response prepares us to take some action – either face or escape the danger!

The emotions and tensions produced by our bodies can also be activated by our perception of numerous other threats, many of them real and many of them imaginary.  For example if you were being run down by a predator such as bear, your reflexes would kick in to do anything necessary to save yourself, right?   

When we imagine that people are criticizing us, or that we’re about to be fired from our job or our partner is cheating or lying  – if these are truly imagined threats - our bodies respond to, even though they are false and only imagined by us. When we form a belief about the state of the world around us, emotional learning takes place and is saved in the amygdala, which responds to this “belief”. Needless to say, we spend much our waking moments gathering information and making decisions about the world we experience. What we believe and accept as our truth, our bodies follow and respond to.

Those of you, that may claim to never have the direct or imagined experiences, still take in second hand experiences and learn from the wisdom of others - we tend to rely on the opinions of “authority” sources – friends, newspapers, TV, teachers, parents, etc, in forming a belief about the state of the world around us.

Stress and anxiety that we experience are natural responses to anticipated threats to our well-being. If we believe we are losing money, our home, our job, our spouse is cheating, and our kids hate us, we react with a sense of alarm and tension.

Yet on the other hand if we are expecting to win the lottery, inherit a fortune, receive a promotion at work, make a large amount of money, be happy, meet the partner of your dreams, now that is exhilarating!! We become enthusiastic and our world is a much happier place, right?    

So what we really want is more enthusiasm, more joy, more happiness, more love and less stress and fear, right?   What do we do when we feel fear, anxiety, worry, doubt and stress out? 

Allow me to redirect your mind about how you view fear.  Fear is an energy that needs direction – its waiting for you to give it instruction and guidance.  Once you learn to take a leadership position over your fear and stress- this becomes exciting – and you become aware and skilled at regulating your emotional states and energy management.  

Yes this does take practice – the better you get at it – the more fun life is -   

You have a choice – to either instruct your fears to take action in a positive enthusiastic manner or in a stressful struggle. It is all up to you –       

Genuinely,

Christine