Fear is Still Our Greatest Enemy

“Fear is an idea-crippling, experience-crushing, success-stalling inhibitor inflicted only by yourself.” Stephanie Melish, Sales Barista

There is no doubt, chronic fear is a clear and present danger to the emotional and physical health of human beings. It can also have a huge effect on a society and lead to civil and social unrest at all levels. A fearful population can inhibit public health, too. During this pandemic, we have witnessed the negative effects of fear. It seems common sense has escaped us. For us to get a hold of our fears, we must first understand what it is and how it affects us.

Basically, fear is a human survival emotion that comes from a perceived or real threat. Genetically, the human organism is designed for survival; however, when people live with constant fear, they can become immobilized. Fear prepares us to react to danger. When we sense danger, our bodies release hormones (adrenaline) that slow or shut down body functions not needed for survival (such as our digestive system) and sharpens functions that help us to survive, increasing our breathing and raising heart rates.

Metabolically, levels of glucose in the blood spike, providing a ready store of energy if the need for action arises. This increased flow of hormones is stored in our memory and over time can negatively impact our rational thinking.

Once fear takes over, our brains will react in predictable ways. When these stored memories get triggered, we start to live in an ‘overactive’ mental state. This heightened state has been referred to as the ‘amygdala hijack’. This emotional response is immediate, overwhelming, and out of measure with the actual stimulus because it has triggered a much more significant emotional threat. In this altered state, the brain perceives everything as negative or as an imminent danger. Sights, sounds, odors, time of day, weather, other people, doorknobs, grass, water, and even the air we breathe can keep us frozen with fear.

It is medically undeniable, chronic fear has discernable impacts. Living under constant threat has serious health consequences. Understanding fear and how it affects us can help us to find ways to maintain calm, rational thinking, and proper responses in the face of perceived or real threats.

Fear can negatively affect humans in the following ways:

1) Physical health: Fear weakens our immune systems. It can cause cardiovascular damage, gastrointestinal problems, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, and decreased fertility. It can accelerate the aging process and even cause premature death.

2) Memory: Fear impairs memory and can damage certain parts of the brain from constant increased hormonal release. It becomes harder to regulate fear which makes a person to become anxious most of the time. The world looks scary and our altered memories confirm it.

3) Brain processing and reactivity: Fear interrupts our brain processes and our ability to regulate emotions. This can change the way we reflect before reacting and our ability to act ethically. We can become susceptible to impulsivity and herd mentality leaving us unable to act appropriately.

4) Mental Health: Other consequences of chronic fear include fatigue, extreme anger, clinical depression, and even Post Traumatic Stress.

Whether threats to our well-being are real or perceived, they can negatively impact our mental and physical well-being. Experienced en masse, fear can disrupt an entire society which can lead to extremely unfavorable consequences-economically, politically, and systemically. This pattern of fear creates even more fear and can continue until it reaches a breaking point, to ourselves and to our societies.

In closing, if utilized, common sense and engaging in appropriate risk management techniques can help us to overcome our fears, which are still our greatest enemies. Think about it then act on it. There you will find your success.