Overcoming Fear
The adage "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" is true, but there are many terrifying things in the world. It's important to know how to deal with worry and dread. While it's crucial for both our mental health and professional performance, it's also necessary to grasp the difference between dread and anxiety.
Back when we lived in caves, we needed to constantly assess whether we were safe. A highly-tuned sensitivity to potential threats was necessary for survival. We don’t experience the same kinds of stressors as we did thousands of years ago, but the response is pretty much the same.
When we perceive a threat to our bodily or emotional well-being, we feel the emotion of fear. Both of our bodies' and brains' responses to these threats are similar. In other words, it doesn't matter if the threat is social, emotional, or physical. The autonomic nervous system's alarms don't know the difference between public speaking and a saber-toothed tiger. Many of us would actually choose the latter.
Fear is an appropriate reaction, despite being unpleasant. We survive, stay safe, and thrive thanks to our fight-or-flight reaction. But fear turns into anxiety when it keeps you from living life to the fullest.
Anxiety initially appears to be extremely similar to terror. They share the same emotional foundation. But when fear becomes maladaptive, anxiety results (the psychological term for when a normal response gets out of control).
