Ripples #910: Dropping Fear!
Oct 31, 2016
PEBBLE
Fear is the faulty belief of impending danger and can be dropped at will by living in the present.
-Abraham A. Low, (founder of Recovery International), shared by Florence in Cleveland, OH
BOULDER
I’m tired of fear shouting directions, so I don’t take them even though I hear those old voices. It’s just that they aren’t gentle, or beautiful and hopeful, so I give them no time.
-MaryAnn Fry, shared by Kelsey in Fond du Lac, WI
PONDER
Boo!
Since Monday is Halloween, I thought we could focus on helping us manage the scary things that are lurking in the shadows of of our minds.
Here in the U.S., the past several months have been especially hard on our fear activation systems since candidates and political parties are often trying to SCARE us rather than INSPIRE us. It’s not because they’re mean, by the way…it’s just because it is cheaper and simpler to fire up the parts of our brains that are hard wired to react to danger. The good news is that we’ve almost reached the finished line for this election cycle; the bad news is that if we’re not careful we could end up carrying the fear with us long after next week.
Fear can be a useful warning and a powerful motivator to act quickly in the face of real danger, although it is often misused and misunderstood. Our response to fear starts in a more primitive part of the brain, so it can’t always recognize the distinction between a small inconvenience and an impending catastrophe. This sometimes creates heightened states of alarm, especially when facing long term stress and multiple challenges at the same time When people are purposely trying scare you, it’s like living in a haunted house with no escape!
Perhaps you can spend some time taking stock of the fears that have accumulated in your mind lately, whether they relate to current events or current challenges you’re facing. Take care of any legitimate concerns, especially those that could easily be lessened or resolved with action. For fears that you determine to be overblown or otherwise unhelpful you might start by thanking them for their honorable intentions. Then you can imagine gently setting set them down OR dropping them into a deep dark hole if that feels more satisfying!
Peace,
Paul
The Ripples Guy
P.S. You may find it useful to read a great article from The Greater Good Science Center that explores how to Find the Good in a Nasty Election Cycle.
