Fear is one of the most primal of all human emotions…It triggers a physiological and emotional response. We are witnessing this science everyday on the news, in our social media feeds, and in conversations with neighbors albeit six feet away on the deserted sidewalks.
Fear’s basic benefit is it guides our fight or flight responses and helps to keep us alive by heightening our senses and awareness therefore keeping us alert and prepared for whatever may come next!
Whether it be a challenge, a crisis, A PANDEMIC or your next adventure… Fear is a benefit amidst uncertainty.
It certainly triggered me to shake the sting ray off and crawl out of the water at a superhuman speed!
But it can be a tricky emotion too….
The negative side of fear is when it holds you back from doing something positive or worse,paralyzes you from doing ANYTHING at all.
Stress is fear-based! We worry that things won’t turn out or what will happen next or WHEN WILL THIS END?
Therefore, we take action or we don’t…
Depending on how we respond, the stress of fear can consume us or (hopefully) release us into letting go and allowing things to occur just as they might. Because they will anyway. Surrendering is what makes every little thing alright!
Right now, this COVID-19 pandemic is fueling an insurmountable amount of fear. The fear of the unknown! The fear of sickness! The fear of loss. It’s crippling the travel industry, closing down schools, sending our economy south at a neck breaking pace, and sending shock waves across the globe.
Still, we have hope! We aren’t alone in the jungle, we’re in this together. We have choices. We can choose to panic or be patient. We can choose to grow or wither. We can choose to contribute instead of hoard. We can choose to connect where we have checked out. We can choose to LIVE.
I’m a playful Pisces. My personality isn’t going to stay out of the water because the fear of what may lie below the surface.
And it is my prayer that not one of us should be paralyzed by the unknown or the yet to come but dive deep into the clarity that comes from this crisis.
Why? Because we are resilient. We rise. We realize that we are one human race all connected and all equal. Crisis brings clarity and while I am not certain when this will end, I am certain that we will witness amazing acts of kindness and miraculous transformations. And we will travel the world again and again.
Eleanor Roosevelt said. “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.”
Depending and focusing on what we want is the ultimate way to stifle fear and CHILL OUT!
I’m choosing that.
