Is Fear a Good Thing?
You can start to feel your heart race, your heavy breathing and your muscles tense. There it is right in front of you. A spider. You don’t know why your body reacts that way, it just does. Every time. Should you run away or should you squash it? You choose to walk away and leave the tiny 8-legged scary beast to go about its business of living its short life.
As you walk, you take a deep breath and exhale slowly. You do it again and as you continue, you take notice of things around you; the bright yellow color of that dandelion, the smell of the crisp autumn air, the feel of the warm hoodie on your arms, and you start to feel calmer and even a little proud of yourself.
It took work to get to this point, but you got here and for that you deserve a lot of credit. You did your research and learned more about spiders. Specifically, that one which is very common in your area, whose silk is incredibly strong. You learned they eat lots of mosquitoes, and they’re good mothers. To you, knowing what you know now, all spiders are called Charlotte, and you are certain they must have a dear friend named Wilbur. That’s how you learned to face a fear that started in childhood. But you’re good. You’ve got this.
You also learned that when that feeling washes over you, there are things you can do to calm down, like taking deep cleansing breaths and noticing the details of your surroundings: the look, the feel, and the smell. Is it mind over matter? Maybe. Is it a distraction? To a degree. Is it an intentional process? It absolutely is.
The fact of the matter is, one person’s indifference may be another person’s fear and another one’s phobia, which is an extreme, intense emotional and physical reaction. Some may say it’s an unreasonable reaction, but for that person, the experience is very real and terrifying. It could be because of a past traumatic or stressful event, or an actual fear of the anxiety symptoms themselves. For some, they may need to seek professional help if the fear hinders their ability to function in daily life.
The Benefits of Fear
There are advantages to being afraid. It can keep you safe by helping you take precautions and avoid dangerous situations. Was that spider poisonous? It can help you be more alert and enhance your reaction time to threats. Did you know spiders can jump? Fear can motivate you to improve yourself, overcome challenges, and build resilience, thereby expanding your comfort zone. Spiders are actually pretty cool.
Then there are some people who like nothing more than a horror movie with plenty of jump scares, a good rollercoaster, or a haunted house. Their obsession with being afraid is more about chasing the adrenaline and dopamine rush they get. For them, it’s exciting. It’s fun. It’s pleasurable. Especially when they know they are safe.
The bottom line is that fear is a good thing. If you can work through it, that will make you stronger. If you need help, there are mental health professionals who can make the process less scary and will walk with you every step of the way to help you live your best life. So, if Charlotte gives you chills, learn more about her, practice some calming strategies, and if an appreciation for her strength doesn’t help you face your fear, then find someone who can.
Share this blog!