Fear is a topic that we talk about as something to “get over”. We’re told to face our fears, overcome our fears, and accept our fears and learn to cope with them. Why are we so fixated on fear? We know from years of research that fear creates metabolic changes. It paralyzes us emotionally and stunts us spiritually. If you go search “fear” on Amazon there are 150,052 entries for you to peruse. Do you have that much time and energy to resolve fear?
We tout the benefits of being above the animal kingdom with the ability to think and reason; perhaps that’s what’s getting in our way from health and healing! You can face your fear and do it anyway according to Susan Jeffers, but that may be easier said than done. What if we took on the Buddhist philosophy of non-attachment, would that be easier?
I was browsing Panache Desai’s book Discovering Your Soul Signature and he discusses fear. He shares, “Fear is an energy. It is an experience. But holding on to fear is unique to our human nature. Consider this: Every living being feels its fear and shake sit off. Cows, deer, fox, even bears-they all feel fear and move on. But we humans don’t. We accumulate fear. We hoard it and store it in our bodies.” That’s eye opening! How can we learn to interact with fear like water rolling off a duck; experience it in the moment as a message, but let it go once it served its purpose.
I believe in fear as a messenger. I first read Gavin de Becker’s book The Gift of Fear in 1996. His positive spin on fear as a personal and cultural alert system sits well with me. He wrote his book in the wake of the bombing of the Federal building in Oklahoma City. In addition, the news had a number of stories of disgruntled employees returning and killing those at the location of their previous employers. Pay attention to fear. The visceral response is real and is attempting to get your attention.
Fear has a place just not center stage. Utilize fear if it allows you to be in the moment, but holding on to it keeps you in the past. Take a lesson from the cow, the deer, and the fox and allow fear to bring your focus to a particular threat, but don’t allow that threat to color every aspect of your life!
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