THE POWER OF FEAR
Fear is a very powerful and primitive human emotion. While it keeps our hearts beating extremely fast more often than not, it also alerts us in the presence of danger. In fact, it was an integral emotion that kept our ancestors alive.
Humans live in constant fear, even though most of us don’t realize it happening in the very moment. Fear, with all its complexity, can never truly be identified because most of its physical symptoms can be overlooked, such as dizziness or feeling sick to the stomach. The funny thing about these feelings is that they are commonly experienced while doing the simplest of tasks like watching a video or looking at a picture despite the fact that these tasks don’t bring about any real danger.
To say fear is undefined in terms of its meaning and causes, would not be wrong. More than association with potential danger, fear tends to be more about personal experience than anything else. Some fears are created as a result of traumatic experience, but other fears seem to pop out of thin air. The latter kind of fears are the ones that you might feel embarrassed about when you try to explain them to other individuals, because they can’t relate to the emotions you feel when that fear is triggered in some way, which is why the idea of fear becomes undefined.
It is worth noting that fear only finds its definition when we give it power, and every human gives their fear a very different level of power. Some people use their fear to thrive on their increased production of adrenaline and enjoy thrilling situations, whereas at the other end of the spectrum are those who tend to stay away from fear-inducing situations at all costs, in order to avoid the very same adrenaline rush.
For all the above reasons, emotional response to fear is highly personalized. Fear induces chemical reactions in our brain – just as how feelings like happiness and excitement do. Such reactions which allow us to enjoy fear in many situations such as watching a horror movie, or visiting haunted houses in amusement parks.
Repeatedly being exposed to a similar situation that induces fear may also reduce the fear response, and the resulting elation may allow you to face the fear without hesitation, which is why I believe fear is power. We create fear, and we destroy it by facing it. The only way that fear will take over us, is if we let it. So, if there’s something that’s scaring you right now, even though it may be too embarrassing to share with someone else, know that you have the capability to overcome that fear and the day you do, it will become your greatest achievement.