Fear

The dictionary defines fear as an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat. That threat can be tangible or not.

When faced with a tangible threat, the fear guides us to action. When faced with an "irrational" fear, we freeze, unsure which action to take because the risk isn't "real."

Sometimes the fear is based on the potential of something happening. A good friend of mine who has several invisible conditions is afraid of COVID-19. She is so scared that she hasn't left her house in weeks. Since she has heard that quarantines are happening in her area, she is positive her respiratory health is already feeling the effects of this virus. No one can visit her in her home. All items that do come into her house are touched with gloved hands until she sanitizes it.

Her fear has overtaken her daily life, adding additional stress, which has caused her conditions to worsen.

I'm concerned about COVID-19 and am following medical advice to help avoid it. However, I am not going to let my fear paralyze me to the point of inaction. Yes, I am one of the people who have to be careful due to a compromised immune system. No, that doesn't mean I am going to die if I come in contact with it. I also do not want to add more stress to my life because stress always makes my condition worse. Instead, I decided to acknowledge the type of fear I am feeling and deal with it appropriately.

How are you managing your fears? Do you identify which are "healthy" and "unhealthy" fears? When you manage your fear, you can manage stressors in your life. Managing or reducing the stressors in your life is always a way to let some unnecessary burden fall off your back.