Hi Everyone,
It's been over 6 months since my last blog post,,,wow it seems a very very long time ago doesn't it? Firstly to say I do hope that this finds you healthy in both mind and body.
“The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but, it is fear.” — Mahatma Gandhi
The world has really changed a lot in the last 6 months. Personally I have never witnessed the amount of extreme FEAR in society on my time on this planet. I am not going to mention the dreaded 'C' word, because I don't know about you but I think we have had enough of that word morning, noon and night since last March. So I am not going to add to that. Just to say that it seems right now that most people have become so 'FEARful' of dying that they have forgot to 'LIVE' life to it fullest. Instead I would like to take this opportunity to talk about a subject that I happen to know a lot about and that is FEAR, what it can do to your health and well being and how you can make some simple changes that will bring more happiness to your world during this time.
Over the last 10 years in my Hypnosis practice, many people have come to see me to eliminate a fear whether it be a fear of flying,a fear of dogs, a fear of spiders, etc., the list goes on. These fears can cause a lot of anxiety, stress, worry, depression and even make people sick. One of the most vital requirements for us to be healthy is a strong immune system and 'fear' is one of the main ways to compromise this vital element to true health. Fear is a human emotion that is triggered by a perceived threat. It
is a primitive survival mechanism that signals our bodies to respond to
danger with a 'fight or flight response'. As such, it is a part
of keeping us safe. However, when people live in constant fear it can lead to cardiovascular damage, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, accelerated ageing and even premature death.
Fear can also impair the formation of long-term memories and cause damage to certain parts of the brain, such as the hippocampus. This can make it even more difficult to regulate fear and can leave a person anxious most of the time. To someone in chronic fear, the world looks scary and their memories confirm that. Fear can also interrupt processes in our brains that allow us to regulate emotions, read non-verbal cues and other information presented to us, reflect before acting, and act ethically. This impacts our thinking and decision-making in negative ways, leaving us susceptible to intense emotions and impulsive reactions. All of these effects can leave us unable to act in a productive way and make bad life choices. It makes us want to hide away from the world and not leave the house.
So how to overcome FEAR? Well first of all remember that live exists only in the 'moment'. As the old saying goes, 'yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery', all we have is the now,,this moment right NOW. Life is precious and the key is living every moment to it's fullest without fear. Fear only comes into it when we are either worried about something that has happened in the past or something that may or may not happen in the future. Be mindful that all we have really is the current moment and we have the power to choose the directions of our thoughts, emotions and live without fear. Yes, it is true, life will never be risk free. Would we really want it to be though? ,, it would all be a bit predictable and boring wouldn't it? If you decide to cling to safety, that makes you a prisoner of your fear. You’re just limiting your own potential to live a full life.
“In any given moment, we have two options: to step forward into growth or to step back into safety.”
— Abraham Maslow
© Trevor Eivers 2020