Fear, stress & anxiety

Often what we label as “stress” is based in underlying feelings of fear. Everyone feels fear sometimes, even those people that may have the misconception that having fear is a sign of weakness. All emotions are tools that let us know what is going on between us and the world. Fear warns us of danger. Sometimes, it’s healthy to listen to the fear because if you do the thing that stimulated the fear you or someone else will get hurt. Sometimes, the fear isn’t that rational. The perceived threat may not be as dangerous as the level of our fear would indicate or may in fact not be dangerous at all. Sometimes the fear needs to be overridden.

People experience a wide range of fears over things big and small; in and out of their control. We may fear growing old, change, not making the mortgage payment, public speaking, taking a test, making a mistake, appearing stupid, loss of control, getting hurt (physically or emotionally), not getting to watch our favorite TV show, the toothpaste drying out, the dishwasher not getting filed “right,” …. The list is endless.