Fear is one of the most powerful emotions. It has a very strong effect on your mind and body.
Anxiety and fear are normal and understandable responses to stressful situations which we experience as threatening. Such feelings often result from finding it difficult to know what to do or how to cope with what is happening. These emotions can be very useful as they make us aware of danger.
Fear can create strong signals of response when we’re in emergencies – for instance, if we are caught in a fire or are being attacked. It can also take effect when you’re faced with non-dangerous events, like exams, public speaking, a new job, a date, or even a party. It’s a natural response to a threat that can be either perceived or real.
Anxiety is a word we use for some types of fear that are usually to do with the thought of a threat or something going wrong in the future, rather than right now.
Fear and anxiety can last for a short time and then pass, but they can also last much longer and you can get stuck with them. In some cases they can take over your life, affecting your ability to eat, sleep, concentrate, travel, enjoy life, or even leave the house or go to work or school. This can hold you back from doing things you want or need to do, and it also affects your health.
Trying to stop anxious thoughts doesn’t work, at least not for long. You can distract yourself or suppress anxious thoughts for a moment, but it’s like sweeping the dust under the carpet, it only stays there for so long, and out it comes again.
I came across Berni Sewell and her article on anxiety https://tinybuddha.com/blog/5-life-changing-realizations-fear-anxiety/ who found respite by making friends with her fear – “All he [fear] had ever wanted was to help me and keep me safe. He was a true friend. Even if he had been slightly misguided in his efforts to help, I found he was open to change.”
