Fear

Generally, being afraid is regarded as something negative. Most people stay clear of the emotion of fear. Not many like being put on edge – heart racing, butterflies in the belly, and hair standing on end.

However, you should consider this; fear can be a valuable ally if harnessed correctly.

Our Comfort Zone

Humans almost always gravitate towards stability. We fly towards safety and security. We don’t usually like to be caught off balance. Equilibrium is our home. We desire to be in our comfort zone and to stay there for as long as possible.

The comfort zone is our nest, our haven, our oasis – of the things we routinely do, things we are used to, things that need no extra effort from us. All other things that put us out of our rhythm or tip us over the edge make us, at the very least, uncomfortable.

We feel uncomfortable as well when we encounter something that triggers a sense of fear in us. Thus we avoid fear and quickly retreat to our comfort zone.

The Nature of Fear

There are those who say that fear and love are the only main human emotions. All other emotions that are positive are variations of love while negative ones are related to fear. More often than not, fear comes about when we are confronted by something unfamiliar or unknown. When we are not certain of the outcome or, more accurately, when the certainty of a positive outcome is overshadowed by the possibility of unwanted consequences, that is when we experience fear.

The trouble with fear is that it tends to make people hold back. We freeze when we feel afraid. Fear makes you stop in your tracks. It keeps us from taking action required for the situation; not because we don’t know what to do but because we are overcome by the thought of an unfavorable outcome.

The Danger Zone

Nature built into us fear as our warning siren that there is danger. The human instinct of “fight or flight” kicks into effect. When we experience fear our body gets a surge of adrenaline, our senses are heightened, and glucose rushes into the bloodstream boosting our energy levels. We instantly gain an ability to focus and react accordingly.

The sad thing about this, is that when confronted with fear, people unconsciously shrink back and completely dismiss or ignore the whole situation. They have taken their comfort zone and turned it into a panic zone shutting off everything else outside.

This is why many people feel trapped. The comfort zone has become a danger zone because people have forgotten how to use fear to take proper action in their lives. The more we allow ourselves to shrink back, the more the comfort zone becomes smaller and smaller.

Harnessing Fear

The take away here is for us to get back to our nature. We need to re-learn the impulse of fight and flight, action and reaction. Even if you are in a life and death situation, shutting down is not the answer; it would more likely put you in peril. If a car is rushing towards you, you don’t just freeze in the middle of the road. You have to step aside, avoid the danger momentarily and then keep moving forward. Learn to react appropriately to the situation.

Confronting the source of your fear – the unfamiliar, the unknown, the new – in most likelihood, will lead to discovery and development. In life, the more you learn, the more you grow. The clarity, the ability to focus and the energy that the feeling of fear provides is something that you can use to propel yourself forward.

In reality, fear produces the same sensations as excitement. So when you are feeling pressured and at the edge of your comfort zone, instead of succumbing to a feedback loop of fear, you can invert it into a feedback loop of excitement. Ultimately it is all a matter of changing your perspective. The message here is for you to stop shrinking back. Live at the edge of your comfort zone and keep moving forward, learning new and exciting things. That is how you get to experience life to the fullest.

Posted via email from kenon's posterous