We fear the unknown, the unpredictable, the randomness.
We fear a dead end job. We fear a low salary in a field we’re about to pursue. We fear losing a loved one. We fear a business climate filled with turbulence, change and disruption. We fear a life without meaning. We fear failure.
Fear sucks the life out of us.
It doesn’t have to be rational or true to make us afraid. Often fueled by an overthinking mind that gets stuck in a vicious cycle, fear keeps us up night and debilitates during the day.
Something as small as a whisper can trigger its emotional chokehold. We pass by the TV and see a news clip of the chaos in the middle east. We stumble upon a website with a story of someone facing a difficult health situation. We hear people say how bad business is ‘these days’.
By bedtime, we are engrossed in a full fledged war with our mind fighting the stories it conjures up. Will I fall ill? Will I lose my job? Will I have enough money? Is the crime rate going up? Will I ever meet someone? Will I sleep tonight? Will I survive?
Understand what fear is and what it isn’t
Fear is an emotion. Sometimes a useful one when facing danger but often an irrational one that arises when our senses pick up a trigger from our hyper active and fully transparent and connected external world.
And just like other emotions such as love, anger or happiness, fear is something we can do something about. It is something that we can overcome. More importantly we must overcome fear otherwise, it will paralyze us.