FEAR
Fear is one basic aspect of human nature. Some fears appear to be inborn,
such as, most babies cry upon hearing a loud noise. Some fears are learnt, e.g.,
fear of hot objects is learnt from experience. Some fears are useful, such as, fear of walking
up to the edge of a hill protects one from a dangerous fall. On the other hand, some fears
are unwarranted, such as panicking whenever there is a thunderstorm. Some people are
of timid temperament from birth while some become characteristically so as a result of
growing up in traumatic circumstances.
some unrealistic fears create hurdle in enjoyment of life and often become a
cause of a lot of mental suffering. There are many kinds of unhealthy fears, e.g., fear of
closed spaces, fear of catching germs from touching doorknobs, fear of public speaking,
fear of water (even a shallow stream). There are many subtypes of anxiety disorders, such
as phobia, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In case of experiencing symptoms related to such ailments, it is desirable to seek help of
an expert, such as, a psychiatrist or a psychotherapist who has experience in dealing with
such problems. Psychotropic medications as well as talk therapy can be effective. Seeking help from an astrologist or performing religious rituals,
presumably, to wash away sins, is an unwise thing to do.
There are some self help measures we can take to remedy some of our fears. The
basic pathway to deal with inappropriate fear is not to run away from it but to face the
fearful situation, gradually, but up front. For example, to reduce fear of height, first get
used to standing at a place of modest height and gradually increase the degree of height. At
any step one should tolerate the emotion of fear. Fear itself is not dangerous. As you hold
your ground, with courage, fear slowly will dissipate. In order to reduce fear of public
speaking, start with speaking in front of one or two known persons, If a thought arises:
"They will laugh at me", give a counter thought "So what if they laugh at me. It is ok,
The sky is not going to fall".
This life is for us to enjoy freely and fairly and at the same time without any unjustified fear.
Comments
Post a Comment