The Keys to Fear
From fearing the dark as a child to stressing over classes as a college student, I have always felt fear. This is not necessarily a bad thing, however. Fear is a basic survival instinct that can push a person past their normal limitations in the presence of danger (“fear”). This helps people adapt and survive in difficult situations. It is only when fear does more harm than good that it becomes a problem. In these situations, fear is useless and people must be able to manage it in order to handle the situation effectively (“Dealing with Fear”). This is what gets me wondering about how I am dealing with my own fears. What if I could do more than just face them or cope with them? What if I could overcome my worries simply by changing the way I think about life in general? Many people believe that it is impossible to not feel fear and that the only solution is to cope with it. I, however, believe that whether it is too much anxiety or a debilitating phobia, there must be a solution. How can an average person mentally overcome fear or anxiety in his daily life through mental training?
As President Franklin D. Roosevelt stated in his first inaugural address on March 4, 1933, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” This is because the inability to cope properly with fear is the source of so many of the world’s problems. In other words, fear itself tends to be a bigger problem for people than whatever it is they are afraid of. According to Stanley Schachter’s two-factor theory, the interplay of our physical responses and our cognitive interpretations combine to cause any particular emotional response (“Two Factor”). An example of this theory is when a man is about to give a presentation and his body has a physical response to the situation such as a racing heart. He interprets his fast heart rate to be a signal of danger because he considers giving a presentation to be frightening. His mind then nearly simultaneously causes him to become afraid. If the stage fright sufferer simply looked at giving presentations as fun, he would still keep the burst of adrenaline but would attribute the feeling to excitement not fear. Fear and anxiety are like anger in that they are emotions that easily grow out of control unless a person learns to steady them.
Failure to resolve our fears means living with its effects. Fear comes with many physical and psychological symptoms. Physical symptoms typically include an increased heart rate that progresses into trembling and feeling faint. Psychological symptoms can include intense panic, feeling a need to escape or knowing that you are over reacting, but feeling powerless to stop it (Segal). According to Cherry Kendra, these sensations are signs that the body is using a “fight-or-flight response” such that a person who is confronted with imminent danger must choose between running away and fighting to the end. The fight-or-flight response forces the body to go past its usual limitations by activating the sympathetic nervous system. This response can be useful to a person who is being assaulted in a dark alley that is forced to stay and fight or run away as it may save his life or minimize his injuries. However, this response is not useful to a person who is about to give a speech as it floods him with an excessive amount of adrenaline that may lead to stage fright or worse cause an increase in blood pressure or panic attack. It is easy to see how fear can cause a lot of stress on the mind and body and over time make a person develop health problems. But if it were possible to control the frequency and degree of fear, a person would gain enormous benefits by being able to participate or enjoy the situation and not suffering mentally and physically. Our control over how we label the situation is the solution to fear itself.
Since the answer I am looking for seems to be based on how a person thinks, I decided that philosophy must be the solution. Buddhist philosophies are all based on how one can overcome fear through the way they look at life. I learned from their teachings that “there is unhealthy fear and healthy fear” (Dealing with Fear). An unhealthy fear is any fear based on something that cannot actually hurt us. Fear of public speaking is an example of an unhealthy fear because it is based on the idea that being judged poorly by others actually hurts us. Since we have control over how we feel and what we think, the opinions of others are not harmful. Fear of getting into a car accident is an example of a healthy fear as it can actually hurt us and there are preventative measures we can take to help avoid it such as driving safely. Fear is basically entirely in our heads. Buddhists believe that fear comes from what are called delusions or “distorted ways of looking at ourselves and the world around us.” If we let go of all delusions we eliminate all fear (Dealing with Fear). Tibetan Buddhist monks who set themselves on fire in protest of Chinese rule are an extreme example of this theory. The monk does not detect danger or fear death or the pain associated with burning which allows him to sit still without making a sound until he dies (Choesang). In this sense, fear is not an uncontrollable instinct but a learned emotion based upon a person’s unique knowledge and prior experiences.
Based on all this research, I have learned how people may overcome their fear and anxiety. The first thing that people must do is learn to recognize the on-set of their physical changes and then determine if the situation is one of actual danger or not. If people realize the situation is not dangerous, they will cease fearing it and learn to overcome it. Next, they must teach themselves not to fear or worry about something that they have no control over because doing so has harmful physical effects. However, if they determine the threat is harmful, they must decide then and there what they have control over and react accordingly. In doing so, they can eliminate most fears and thusly eliminate the harmful physical effects. Lastly, they must take time to truly consider what they need in life. If they learn to distinguish between what is and is not important, the fear of losing or not achieving it will disappear. It may take some time and practice for people to develop this skill but once learned, people can live without fearing what cannot hurt them, what is not under their control, or involves losing something that they do not need or truly want. The final result will be less fearful people who live more productive and happier lives.
Works Cited
Cherry, Kendra. "What Is the Fight-or-Flight Response?" About.com. Psychology, 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. <http://psychology.about.com/od/findex/g/fight-or-flight-response.htm>.
Choesang, Yeshe. “A Buddhist monk dies in latest self-immolation protest in Tibet.” thetibetpost.com. The Tibet Post International, 29 Mar. 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. <http://www.thetibetpost.com/en/ news/tibet/3297-a-buddhist-monk-dies-in-latest-self-immolation-protest-in-tibet>.
“Dealing with Fear.” dealingwithfear.org. New Kadampa Tradition – International Kadampa Buddhist Union, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. <http://www.dealingwithfear.org/>.
"fear." Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers, 2010. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ fear>.
Roosevelt, Franklin D. “First Inaugural Address.” Archives.gov. The National Archives (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO) NLR-PPF-1820-1STCARBON-RS1, 4 Mar. 1933. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. <http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/fdr-inaugural/>.
Segal, Jeanne, et al. “Phobias and Fears.” HelpGuide.org. Feb. 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. <http://helpguide.org/mental/ phobia_symptoms_types_treatment.htm>.
“Two Factor Theory of Emotion.” Changing Minds.org. 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. <http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/two-factor_emotion.htm>.
As President Franklin D. Roosevelt stated in his first inaugural address on March 4, 1933, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” This is because the inability to cope properly with fear is the source of so many of the world’s problems. In other words, fear itself tends to be a bigger problem for people than whatever it is they are afraid of. According to Stanley Schachter’s two-factor theory, the interplay of our physical responses and our cognitive interpretations combine to cause any particular emotional response (“Two Factor”). An example of this theory is when a man is about to give a presentation and his body has a physical response to the situation such as a racing heart. He interprets his fast heart rate to be a signal of danger because he considers giving a presentation to be frightening. His mind then nearly simultaneously causes him to become afraid. If the stage fright sufferer simply looked at giving presentations as fun, he would still keep the burst of adrenaline but would attribute the feeling to excitement not fear. Fear and anxiety are like anger in that they are emotions that easily grow out of control unless a person learns to steady them.
Failure to resolve our fears means living with its effects. Fear comes with many physical and psychological symptoms. Physical symptoms typically include an increased heart rate that progresses into trembling and feeling faint. Psychological symptoms can include intense panic, feeling a need to escape or knowing that you are over reacting, but feeling powerless to stop it (Segal). According to Cherry Kendra, these sensations are signs that the body is using a “fight-or-flight response” such that a person who is confronted with imminent danger must choose between running away and fighting to the end. The fight-or-flight response forces the body to go past its usual limitations by activating the sympathetic nervous system. This response can be useful to a person who is being assaulted in a dark alley that is forced to stay and fight or run away as it may save his life or minimize his injuries. However, this response is not useful to a person who is about to give a speech as it floods him with an excessive amount of adrenaline that may lead to stage fright or worse cause an increase in blood pressure or panic attack. It is easy to see how fear can cause a lot of stress on the mind and body and over time make a person develop health problems. But if it were possible to control the frequency and degree of fear, a person would gain enormous benefits by being able to participate or enjoy the situation and not suffering mentally and physically. Our control over how we label the situation is the solution to fear itself.
Since the answer I am looking for seems to be based on how a person thinks, I decided that philosophy must be the solution. Buddhist philosophies are all based on how one can overcome fear through the way they look at life. I learned from their teachings that “there is unhealthy fear and healthy fear” (Dealing with Fear). An unhealthy fear is any fear based on something that cannot actually hurt us. Fear of public speaking is an example of an unhealthy fear because it is based on the idea that being judged poorly by others actually hurts us. Since we have control over how we feel and what we think, the opinions of others are not harmful. Fear of getting into a car accident is an example of a healthy fear as it can actually hurt us and there are preventative measures we can take to help avoid it such as driving safely. Fear is basically entirely in our heads. Buddhists believe that fear comes from what are called delusions or “distorted ways of looking at ourselves and the world around us.” If we let go of all delusions we eliminate all fear (Dealing with Fear). Tibetan Buddhist monks who set themselves on fire in protest of Chinese rule are an extreme example of this theory. The monk does not detect danger or fear death or the pain associated with burning which allows him to sit still without making a sound until he dies (Choesang). In this sense, fear is not an uncontrollable instinct but a learned emotion based upon a person’s unique knowledge and prior experiences.
Based on all this research, I have learned how people may overcome their fear and anxiety. The first thing that people must do is learn to recognize the on-set of their physical changes and then determine if the situation is one of actual danger or not. If people realize the situation is not dangerous, they will cease fearing it and learn to overcome it. Next, they must teach themselves not to fear or worry about something that they have no control over because doing so has harmful physical effects. However, if they determine the threat is harmful, they must decide then and there what they have control over and react accordingly. In doing so, they can eliminate most fears and thusly eliminate the harmful physical effects. Lastly, they must take time to truly consider what they need in life. If they learn to distinguish between what is and is not important, the fear of losing or not achieving it will disappear. It may take some time and practice for people to develop this skill but once learned, people can live without fearing what cannot hurt them, what is not under their control, or involves losing something that they do not need or truly want. The final result will be less fearful people who live more productive and happier lives.
Works Cited
Cherry, Kendra. "What Is the Fight-or-Flight Response?" About.com. Psychology, 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. <http://psychology.about.com/od/findex/g/fight-or-flight-response.htm>.
Choesang, Yeshe. “A Buddhist monk dies in latest self-immolation protest in Tibet.” thetibetpost.com. The Tibet Post International, 29 Mar. 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. <http://www.thetibetpost.com/en/ news/tibet/3297-a-buddhist-monk-dies-in-latest-self-immolation-protest-in-tibet>.
“Dealing with Fear.” dealingwithfear.org. New Kadampa Tradition – International Kadampa Buddhist Union, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. <http://www.dealingwithfear.org/>.
"fear." Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers, 2010. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ fear>.
Roosevelt, Franklin D. “First Inaugural Address.” Archives.gov. The National Archives (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO) NLR-PPF-1820-1STCARBON-RS1, 4 Mar. 1933. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. <http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/fdr-inaugural/>.
Segal, Jeanne, et al. “Phobias and Fears.” HelpGuide.org. Feb. 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. <http://helpguide.org/mental/ phobia_symptoms_types_treatment.htm>.
“Two Factor Theory of Emotion.” Changing Minds.org. 2013. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. <http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/two-factor_emotion.htm>.