Mental Health

Finding Courage in the Face of Fear: Practical Tips and Techniques.

By creating an awareness of the detrimental effects of excessive fear on mental and physical health, I provide practical coping methods.

Fear is one of the strongest emotions of humans.

“Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself” — FDR’s First Inaugural Address

“Those who can overcome their fears will truly be free.” ― Aristotle

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” ― Marie Curie

Key Points

This article answers two questions.

1 — Why does fear matter for our physical and mental health?

2 — How can we deal with fearful situations effectively?

Purpose and Inspiration of the Article

Readers of my recent story on anxiety titled “A Shift from Anxious to Confident and Calm Mind in Two Steps” showed interest in understanding the impact and implications of fear on our physical and mental health.

As fear is related to (yet different from) anxiety, I decided to create this article to provide an informed perspective. As the topic is comprehensive, I only focus on the critical points in a specific context.

This story is two-part. The first part is easy but necessary to clarify this paradox, so I keep it shorter. The second part requires awareness, special attention, and customization by individuals. Thus, I elaborate on the key points.

My goal is to create awareness of the toxic effects of fear and provide practical tips to cope with it effectively.

As fear has a genetic component, each person’s experience might differ and require different coping mechanisms.

I explain the paradox of fear under two headings.

1 — Why Fear Is Essential

Fear is an essential emotion for our survival. It is built into our biology and psychology. Removing fear is impossible unless we cut some parts of our brains. So, having fear in our life is no shame.

Everyone experiences fear in their life. However, while some of us use fear to protect ourselves from dangers, others can be overwhelmed by its effects, causing severe health issues.

Fear makes immediate changes in the brain and the body. Some functions decrease, and others increase.

When the primitive part of the brain generates fear, it shuts down the cognitive system and several bodily functions, such as the digestive and productive systems.

After a generation of fear, hormones and neurotransmitters change, increasing the heart rate and blood pressure and enhancing visual abilities. The amount of cortisol and adrenalin increases.

In short, the body prepares for a fight, flight, or freeze, as documented in the literature.

We might start sweating as the body temperature increases. However, some people might freeze. I am one of them.

As fear has a genetic aspect, each person’s experience might be different and require a different coping mechanism.

Accepting and understanding the necessity of fear in life is an essential coping mechanism. We might cope with perceptive fear with lifestyle habits. Some of us might need medical intervention, medication, and therapy.

The next point focuses on how fear might be toxic for some people.

2 — Why Fear Can Be Toxic

Fear can be toxic to the body and brain. Excessive and uncontrolled fear can adversely affect our mental and physical health. This is because fear is a psychosomatic construct in the human body.

Fear starts in the mind like all other emotions. The primitive part of the brain is responsible for creating this emotion. Specifically, fear is recognized and generated in the amygdala, similar to anxiety.

However, as fear is an emotion through our hormones and neurotransmitters (chemicals) in the nervous and endocrine systems, it spreads rapidly through the body and makes a physical and biological impact.

Fear can have a significant effect on the brain. The biggest impact of fear is on our cognitive brain. Fearful situations can adversely affect our focus, attention, and memory.

Our survival system resides in the primitive brain. Since the amygdala recognizes and alerts fear, it can quickly shut the neocortex and prevent cognitive processes. Thus, fearful situations can cause panic in the brain and body.

In addition, fear can damage the hippocampus and impair the formation of long-term memories. Thus, it adversely affects our thinking and decision-making capabilities.

When the cognitive part of the brain malfunction, we have difficulty regulating our emotions as we lose cognitive flexibility.

If fears reach a chronic state, it can lead to severe mental health conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, PSTD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), and various neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia.

How to Deal With Fear Efficiently

Everyone might deal with fear differently. However, there are some common coping mechanisms that we can customize to our style. I provide them in bullet points as they are self-explanatory.

1 — Recognizing fear as an emotion can activate the cognitive system. Therefore, mindfulness is an excellent method to deal with fearful situations.

2 — Since the cognitive brain does not function or function at a limited capability, the only option is to use the power of our body. Thus, the most viable method is using our breath which can activate the neocortex.

3 — After recognizing symptoms, the next point is understanding the root causes. Breathing allows us to think about the causes.

4 — By using the thinking brain, we challenge thoughts by validating whether the threat is real or perceived.

5 — If the threat is real and confirmed, we need to act quickly to get rid of the danger by taking appropriate actions.

6 — If the threat is perceived, it is relatively easier to deal with it than the real danger. For example, after noticing the perceived threat, the body might start relaxing and making hormonal changes.

7 — Some people might have difficulty in dealing with perceived threats as some perceptions might generate more fear. In this case, proactively asking for evidence, self-talk, and asking help from others might reduce the effects.

8 — Consider physical exercise after fearful situations to burn excess adrenalin to get instant relief.

9 — Consider pleasant and joyful activities after fearful situations to balance neurotransmitters and hormones.

10 — Finally, as some fear might be caused by psychological and biological conditions such as damage to the brain, it is critical to obtain support from qualified healthcare professionals.

Final Words

Fear is inevitable in life. It is essential to survive.

The human brain produces fear to protect the body and prepare for future threats. For example, it fears fear yet also creates nightmares to scare itself.

Fear only becomes a problem if not addressed timely and turns into a chronic state based on my studies and experience.

Since each fearful situation is different, there is no universal formula to solve them. Each person handles it differently.

However, we can learn to face our fears systematically and reduce their detrimental effects on our health.

One viable solution that might apply to anyone is seeking help to cope with fear. Our goal is to prevent the accumulation of fear that might affect our physical and mental health.

Thus, talking with family members, friends, colleagues, community members, and healthcare professionals (e.g., clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, or family doctors) is an excellent strategy to cope with fearful situations.

In addition, some countries have organizations with helplines providing support to citizens during fearful situations. Finding these resources can be invaluable.

Existential threats are valid and might create significant fear for many of us. For example, terminal illness can generate fear of death.

I used to fear death in my younger years. However, as I got older and closer to the end, my fear diminished as it was inevitable. With this awareness and acceptance, nowadays, I pay attention to living better rather than worrying about death.

Paradoxically, thinking about death systematically, as stoics do, I enjoy life more with less fear.

As my favorite philosopher, Marcus Aurelius, informs: “It is not death that a person should fear, but s/he should fear never beginning to live.”

As advised by Rumi, I found courage after “moving outside the tangle of fear-thinking and living in silence” with self-love, empathy, and compassion for others.

Compassion and self-love can attract loving people to our lives.

Meditating three times a day, refraining from perfection, and striving for excellence significantly reduced my perceptive fear in life.

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.

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