Fear. Friend or Foe?
By Naseeha Tayob Ibrahim

Published in: Self
Date: 30 / 12 / 21

Fear falls under the basic human emotions. It doesn’t have a good rep but it has a purpose. To define it, it is “an unpleasant feeling triggered by the perception of danger, real or imaged.”

Fear is one of those emotions that have a good and bad side. When it comes to the bad side it has the power to throw you off track that you can get back up with a fear of moving on again. It will stop you from living, completely, even while there is air in your lungs.

The thing with fear is that if you allow it to control you, you deprive yourself of living a happy, healthy life. To know if fear is holding you from living your life, best or not, here are some points to consider.

You only see the negative/downside/worst-case scenario — Every circumstance has a good and bad within it. People who are in a state of fear only see the downside.

You act without thinking things through — You’re triggered quickly and so you react rather than respond.

You’re too afraid to try anything new and/or different — In the past fear alarmed you when there was a threat to survival but now, you’re anxious just thinking about doing something slightly new or different. Your fear doesn’t want you wandering off to places and things you haven’t gone before, no matter how difficult, painful or uncomfortable the current place is. You could be stuck in the same place that isn’t serving you, working for you, for years because you’re afraid of the other side. Fear doesn’t allow growth.

You don’t trust yourself — gut instincts are a real thing but when you’re consumed with fear, there’s a small chance that instinct gets through to you. All you can hear and feel are the anxious thoughts running through your mind.

You’re indecisive — Being so afraid to choose that you don’t choose at all. You find yourself second-guessing yourself and your choices and decisions so you don’t make either.

To improve the situation —

Give yourself time to discuss the options with yourself -

*Get the facts

*Work out what it good for YOU

*Get rid of the fear

*Get into a better space within, feel better

*Have faith in your final decision

Heres how and when fear is your friend

It boosts your immune system — Sounds ridiculous, I know. But according to some studies fear increases white blood cells which help to fight off disease (now I plan to binge watch crime documentaries, for health reasons).

It gives you a thrill — Think about meeting new people, trying something new and making really big changes in life. It feels scary because you’re leaving your comfort zone. But while taking steps to grow and become a better version of yourself can be fear inducing, it is the greatest thing you can do for yourself. It’s an adrenaline rush that will shape you into one sharp cookie.

It clears your vision — When riddled with fear, everything becomes clear to you — what’s important, what matters, who matters and what needs to be done. It makes the goal clear and helps you focus on drawing a road map on how to get there. Fear is a big part of many peoples success stories “I found myself alone, no money, no family and I knew I had to do something to change things for myself”. How many times have you heard that one?

Fear is nothing more than emotion and you have the ability to control it, manage it. If you don’t, you just give it more power over you. There’s no escaping or avoiding any emotions here because as long as you’re human, you will have emotions. By learning to manage your emotions better, you get stringer with every circumstance.

About

Naseeha Tayob Ibrahim

I speak. I write. I coach.

I want to make the world a better place.

As an avid reader and writer, it’s no surprise that communications became my career and line of work. There is never one thing in particular that defines who I am, except the fact that I am passionate about everything I do. That made me the odd one out most of my life. It made realize how important it is to listen to my heart.

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