Pulled from Fear

People overcome by fear receive lots of advice. If you belong in this category, I’m sure you heard it all.

1. Take time out. It’s impossible to think clearly when you’re flooded with fear or anxiety. …
2. Breathe through panic
3. Face your fears
4. Imagine the worst
5. Look at the evidence
6. Don’t try to be perfect
7. Visualize a happy place
8. Talk about it.

What isn’t addressed, is what makes people fearful in the first place. Though fear is in the mind, it triggers strong physical reactions.  Adrenaline is released and blood pressure and heart rate increase. Breathing quickens and blood flows from the heart to your limbs making you ready to run and fight back. 

When hearing a bear growl in the wild or gunshots go off, fear is a good emotion to have. It protects you by initiating your fight or flight response. It isn’t hard to imagine how people feel in Ukraine knowing they could be bombarded at any moment. Fear makes most people run to underground shelters of flee the country while others take up weapons to fight back. 

But, there are those who become so overwhelmed with fear they are unable to react rationally. They may hyperventilate, freeze in place, or scream to no avail needing to be led to safety by someone else. There are also those who worry so much about bad things that might occur in the future that they experience continuous anxiety. Feelings of pending doom prevent them from enjoying life. Most often, their worst fears are never realized. Yet, there are times when fear spurs action that prevents the bad outcome. 

For those who live in continuous angst, there is a separate list of suggestions to build mental muscle. The more you have of it, the easier it is to face your anxieties and get the best out of life. 

1. Don’t figure things out by yourself
2. Be real with how you feel
3. Be OK with some things being out of your control
4. Practice self-care
5. Be conscious of your intentions
6. Focus on positive thoughts
7. Practice mindfulness.

According to Psychology Today, the top three fears that hold people back are change, loneliness, and failure. Resisting change can cause you to miss out on many opportunities. Fear of loneliness keeps people in bad relationships and can cause them to obsessively use social media. Fear of failure brings with it the fear of embarrassment. Believing that you don’t measure up can make you avoid doing things where success isn’t guaranteed.

People who enjoy my paintings often ask where I studied or how I got started. My art career began forty years ago when needing relief from anxiety at work and the stress of raising five young children. My husband made me an easel for my birthday and suggested I paint for my own pleasure. He advised me not to take lessons and not set  a goal of selling my work. I didn’t have to get good. All I was to do is have fun messing around with paint. His instruction was a gift that let me proceed without judgment, self-inflicted or external. 

Painting relieved my mind from daily problems. It is impossible to draw a line on a canvas without concentrating on where it is going. I started paying attention to colors and shapes in the environment and noticed how objects were shaded under different types of light.  For forty years I painted and to my surprise improved. These days, I sell my pictures, donate some to charity, and others in my house for my own enjoyment. I still have my first painting and look at it occasionally to see how I’ve improved. Most of all, I continue to paint for pleasure and for the freedom it gives my mind. 

I write this blog because we live in fearful times. We are surrounded by horror stories of wars, killings, disease, rising temperatures, and the unhoused. On top of these nightmares are the personal difficulties each of us faces. This is why it is important to find a calm way to navigate through it all. My way of building mental muscle may not be yours. And, what worked in the past may not be the same as you age. Whatever it is, reassess, seek it out and develop a path that works for you.

References:

Schwantes, M. (2022) 8 Successful Mental Habits to Defeat Fear, Worry, and Anxiety. INC. retrieved from https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/8-mental-hacks-that-will-keep-you-strong-under-control-during-tough-times.html

(2020) 5 Things You Never Knew About Fear. Northwest Medicine. retrieved from

https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/emotional-health/5-things-you-never-knew-about fear#

Fagan, (2020) Top 10 Fears that Hold People Back in Life. Psychology Today. retrieved from about fear#:~:text=As%20soon%20as%20you%20recognize,pressure%20and%20heart%20rate%20increase.

Art is always for sale. For information, contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com.

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