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Overcoming FEAR

Anything related to matters of the mind

spirit

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I'm going to be honest, I experience a lot of fear.

I have a constant knot in my stomach from anxiety. The thing is, I know it's completely irrational.

Will this kill me? No.
Will it physically hurt me? No.
Will I lose any money? No.
Could this ruin my life? No.

And yet, I feel uneasy about every step I take. How much easier everything would be without fear.

Have you also felt this way?

I know that action brings confidence, but is there a way to change my mindset to finally be at ease?
 
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Miketing

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Look at the thing you are anxious about - the thing you fear happening most.

Now ask yourself:
  • Is that something which you are in complete control of? Do you decide whether that happens or not?

  • If not, then what use does worrying about it do? Does the act of worrying make it less likely to happen?

  • In this situation then, what do you have control over? What could you decide to do instead of worrying?
 

SteveO

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I feel your pain. Have dealt with this most of my life.

The advantage that I have had is that I don't recognize some of the times that I should fear the situation. I also have this irrational behavior that makes me tend to plow right into the middle of something that I do fear. I put on the "war" face and charge...

I once was attacked by a mountain goat. It ran straight at me with horns out. I screamed like a banshee and charged back at it. Damn thing turned and ran but charged back again. I did the same. The second time I could have reached out and slapped its a$$ it was so close. Off it ran up a cliff. The other two guys with me cried out from their hiding places "is it gone yet?".

Adrenalin. Use it.

Btw... There was an article this morning about a grizzly bear that was killed by a mountain goat. Guess it didn't want to be eaten.
 
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Have a stiff drink?
Sometimes when I feel the world on my shoulders, I have a few glasses of wine with a close friend and somehow it gets a little less scary, a little easier. Just don’t overdo it …
 

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Go do some actually scary shit and everything else will seem like child's play.

I intentionally never go too long without some sort of thing to spice up my life and scare me a little.

Photo is from when I was in a hospital in a small town in a 3rd world country from having my ankle torn open. Makes life in America feel like a game of Candyland.

image0[14943].jpeg
 

spirit

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I think overcoming all these fears comes from determination and a strong inner zeal.

One of my favorite quotes:

Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.
 
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Black_Dragon43

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I’ve dealt with fear of almost everything in my life. I have slowly conquered most of those fears. You will no longer feel fear after you get used to the thing that causes fear through gradual exposure.

I have never found the “rational” stoic approach useful in combatting fear. Trying to “think away” your fear is only going to make it stronger. Also, the rational approach could only work, even in principle, for things that aren’t actually dangerous. But think of people who need to sky dive for example or go to war. They can’t use the rational approach because what they’re doing is, realistically, dangerous.

I recommend reading Michael Singer’s Surrender Experiment. With fear, you’ve got to let go of it and trust a higher power than yourself.

Also look at @SteveO ‘s example above. When charged by the mountain goat, he charged it back. Hardly the rational thing, but it worked. That’s the sort of thing you need to access to overcome fear.
 

Black_Dragon43

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Have a stiff drink?
Sometimes when I feel the world on my shoulders, I have a few glasses of wine with a close friend and somehow it gets a little less scary, a little easier. Just don’t overdo it …
As Dan Peña used to say, a stiff drink and a good F*ck could kill most people today… :rofl:
 

Mattie

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I'm going to be honest, I experience a lot of fear.

I have a constant knot in my stomach from anxiety. The thing is, I know it's completely irrational.

Will this kill me? No.
Will it physically hurt me? No.
Will I lose any money? No.
Could this ruin my life? No.

And yet, I feel uneasy about every step I take. How much easier everything would be without fear.

Have you also felt this way?

I know that action brings confidence, but is there a way to change my mindset to finally be at ease?
Fear is always there. I just acknowledge it. Thank it for appearing. Then let it go. You can't really control the outcome of other people's choices. You can't control their thoughts. You can't control their words. You can't control their actions.

What you can control is your own. Fortunately, other people not take responsibility for the part they play, or the chaos and confusion they may create or co-create.

Fear just prevents you from doing what you want to achieve in life. While you still have to be smart and evaluate the situation time to time before creating a disaster.

There are some individuals that move to fast and don't think about the consequences of their actions and are completely fearless that it creates situations where they self-sabotage themselves.

Then there are some individuals who are too slow and cautious and self-sabotage themselves.

This is more about finding the right pace at times. When to move and not move.

I'm not sure you can get away from fear 100%. You need it for survival. If you didn't have fear, you wouldn't know when to get out of the way of something dangerous.
 
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Black_Dragon43

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If you didn't have fear, you wouldn't know when to get out of the way of something dangerous.
That’s what psychologists like to tell us, but I think it’s just a justification for fear. It’s useful to people who have low self esteem and BLAME themselves for feeling afraid and get frustrated by feeling afraid, since that leads to worse things such as shame. The doc tells them “ohh don’t worry, fear is normal, how else would you protect yourself?”. Then the blame and the shame stops.

I think normalizing fear is a huge mistake for living an unscripted life. Fear is the script.

And I don’t need to feel afraid to know that the car coming towards me will kill me unless I move away. In fact, if fear is sufficiently intense it will do the EXACT OPPOSITE and make me freeze and die. I personally think that fear is the biggest danger in life. Fear itself.

I know docs tell people with panic attacks “ohhh don’t worry, fear cannot hurt you, etc etc”. Realistically, that is bullshit. I’ve messed up and got into dangerous situations MANY times as a RESULT of fear. Fear can absolutely hurt you. Think about someone doing a challenging task while very afraid. We’ve all seen such people. And they usually mess up right? They don’t achieve “peak performance” in a state of fear, do they? So if you’re very afraid while driving your car and don’t learn to control your fear, the chance that you’ll cause an accident actually increases. Ofc, tell this to a person with a driving phobia and they’ll freak out even more, even though it’s the truth.
 

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@Mattie @Black_Dragon43 - both are right...

Fear is a tricky emotion. On one hand, it can be a powerful force in motivating us to take action in the face of danger or in pursuing a goal in the face of adversity. On the other hand, when we let fear control our actions for too long, we lose sight of what's truly important and may make irrational decisions that harm us or others.

When we take the time to understand fear and temper it with knowledge and rational thought, we can harness its power and use it more effectively in our lives. We can direct this energy into the pursuit of our goals, but we must also recognize when we need to step back and reevaluate a situation before continuing forward.

The science of fear

We know that our brains are hardwired to detect threats in the environment and react accordingly, even when danger is nonexistent. Some call this the "low road" because it allows for immediate action without having to involve the rational part of the brain. At its most basic level, this low road is activated by the amygdala, which signals the hypothalamus to trigger a cascade of hormonal responses. This is often accompanied with physical sensations like increased heart rate and shortness of breath.

Typically, these reactions are reserved for instances in which our lives or safety are at stake. When we encounter situations that aren't life-threatening, it's best to engage the higher functions of our brains through reflection and contemplation. This allows us to fully process information, make rational decisions, and integrate reason into our emotions.


The consequences of fear

When we engage with fear too often or without thinking things through, it can have negative consequences both mentally and physically. For example, anxiety disorders are very real conditions that affect around 40 million people in the United States alone. Researchers are still working to understand exactly what goes wrong in the brain during anxiety, but they've linked it to an overactive amygdala and increased cortisol levels.

When our brains are overwhelmed by fear, it's difficult for us to control ourselves or think clearly about our options. We may lash out, make impulsive decisions, or change our behavior in ways that negatively affect those around us.

What we can do about it

If fear affects you on a regular basis, try to take time for yourself and truly evaluate your options before you react. Think back to what instills fear in you – whether it's physical danger or simply the idea of rejection or failure – and try to work out why. Make a list of each potential outcome, positive or negative, possible in the current situation.

If you're struggling with fear in your personal life, talk to someone you trust about what's causing it. If necessary, seek professional help from a therapist who can help you process these emotions in healthy ways.

PS And yes, a drink with a friend can be therapeutic and cheap.
 

MTF

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I can relate to that. I suffer from several traumas that trigger anxiety in various situations. My two biggest everyday fears are probably the fear of crime (got jumped a few times when I was young, now I'm terrified of it which for example makes me avoid traveling to any places with a higher risk of crime) and the fear of death (after a completely unexpected sudden death of a family member).

I don't have any advice. I can only say that I tried Michael Singer's "let go" approach for several months and in the end actually found it a bit disrespectful in some way. He discredits the value of the experience and pushes a life in which you should pretend that you aren't yourself and whatever emotions you feel aren't real (because they just trigger your past conditioning).

I can understand the value of relaxing when facing negative emotions but deep trauma can mess you up so badly that I'm not sure that it can go away on its own. Perhaps it's not about somehow getting rid of this anxiety but just learning how to live with it.
 
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SteveO

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There is an exercise that has helped me immensely over the past 6 years.

Acknowledge every negative emotion. Take a few seconds to determine what the emotion is, fear, anger, frustration, etc... Feel the emotion to the fullest and then let it go. Do the process again if you don't feel it was released. It should only take about 20-30 seconds once you get used to it.

There is no need to do this for emotions we see as positive as we naturally release them. We don't dwell on them like we do with the ones we deem negative.

You will need to pay attention to when you are having an emotion in the first place. You will probably find that you experience these 15-20 times a day.

After a while, it becomes automatic. You will begin processing and releasing your emotions without any effort.
 

SteveO

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When we engage with fear too often or without thinking things through, it can have negative consequences both mentally and physically. For example, anxiety disorders are very real conditions that affect around 40 million people in the United States alone. Researchers are still working to understand exactly what goes wrong in the brain during anxiety, but they've linked it to an overactive amygdala and increased cortisol levels.

When our brains are overwhelmed by fear, it's difficult for us to control ourselves or think clearly about our options. We may lash out, make impulsive decisions, or change our behavior in ways that negatively affect those around us.
Agree. It can also manifest physical ailments.
 

SteveO

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Go do some actually scary shit and everything else will seem like child's play.

I intentionally never go too long without some sort of thing to spice up my life and scare me a little.

Photo is from when I was in a hospital in a small town in a 3rd world country from having my ankle torn open. Makes life in America feel like a game of Candyland.

View attachment 40090
How was the care? Sometime I feel like here in the US, we go way overboard on fancy beds, rooms, furnishings, etc... Something nice and simple about that photo...
 
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Black_Dragon43

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@Mattie @Black_Dragon43 - both are right...

Fear is a tricky emotion. On one hand, it can be a powerful force in motivating us to take action in the face of danger or in pursuing a goal in the face of adversity. On the other hand, when we let fear control our actions for too long, we lose sight of what's truly important and may make irrational decisions that harm us or others.

When we take the time to understand fear and temper it with knowledge and rational thought, we can harness its power and use it more effectively in our lives. We can direct this energy into the pursuit of our goals, but we must also recognize when we need to step back and reevaluate a situation before continuing forward.

The science of fear

We know that our brains are hardwired to detect threats in the environment and react accordingly, even when danger is nonexistent. Some call this the "low road" because it allows for immediate action without having to involve the rational part of the brain. At its most basic level, this low road is activated by the amygdala, which signals the hypothalamus to trigger a cascade of hormonal responses. This is often accompanied with physical sensations like increased heart rate and shortness of breath.

Typically, these reactions are reserved for instances in which our lives or safety are at stake. When we encounter situations that aren't life-threatening, it's best to engage the higher functions of our brains through reflection and contemplation. This allows us to fully process information, make rational decisions, and integrate reason into our emotions.


The consequences of fear

When we engage with fear too often or without thinking things through, it can have negative consequences both mentally and physically. For example, anxiety disorders are very real conditions that affect around 40 million people in the United States alone. Researchers are still working to understand exactly what goes wrong in the brain during anxiety, but they've linked it to an overactive amygdala and increased cortisol levels.

When our brains are overwhelmed by fear, it's difficult for us to control ourselves or think clearly about our options. We may lash out, make impulsive decisions, or change our behavior in ways that negatively affect those around us.

What we can do about it

If fear affects you on a regular basis, try to take time for yourself and truly evaluate your options before you react. Think back to what instills fear in you – whether it's physical danger or simply the idea of rejection or failure – and try to work out why. Make a list of each potential outcome, positive or negative, possible in the current situation.

If you're struggling with fear in your personal life, talk to someone you trust about what's causing it. If necessary, seek professional help from a therapist who can help you process these emotions in healthy ways.

PS And yes, a drink with a friend can be therapeutic and cheap.
Science has advanced quite significantly in terms of understanding the function of different areas of the brain and how they operate in most people.

One thing we need to be careful of in science is creating a picture or story that will mesmerize us to the point of confusing it with reality. Science is a map. But the map is never the territory, which is always infinitely richer.

It’s very easy to attribute limitations where there are none, or to misattribute purpose or lack of it. Science is very likely to lead you down the wrong path when undertaken with certainty.

For example, years ago we thought that the appendix is a useless remnant of evolution. In 2007, William Parker and his colleagues at Duke University in North Carolina showed that the appendix is a storehouse of bacteria that is valuable to aid digestion and immunity.

And I will not even mention the 10+ stories I have when doctors trained in medical science were seriously wrong and misheaded about health issues for myself. I am not smarter than my doctors, but I do listen to my body, trust my intuition, and try to use logic in a way that goes off the prescriptions of the medical textbook. One trouble with science is that it chases the mirage of certainty. There is none. I could’ve been wrong based on my logic + intuitions and my doctors right, it was certainly a possibility. But in the mind of my doctors, there was no possibility that I’d be right. Therein is the difference.

The other point I’ll make is that science always comes in the game TOO LATE. First we know of a phenomenon empirically, by experience, and then create a map to account for it. Therefore if you want to push boundaries, you cannot use science - what science understands is never a frontier but well-trodden ground.

Subjectively it is possible to face real danger without feeling fear. Yes, you will still feel a rush of adrenaline, but no fear. I am telling you this because I’ve experienced it. I don’t know how this phenomenon is interpreted by science. All I know is that I’ve experienced it and it is a possibility, at least for me. I don’t have a map for this territory, but I’ve been through it.
 

Kevin88660

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I'm going to be honest, I experience a lot of fear.

I have a constant knot in my stomach from anxiety. The thing is, I know it's completely irrational.

Will this kill me? No.
Will it physically hurt me? No.
Will I lose any money? No.
Could this ruin my life? No.

And yet, I feel uneasy about every step I take. How much easier everything would be without fear.

Have you also felt this way?

I know that action brings confidence, but is there a way to change my mindset to finally be at ease?
Depends on what you are fearful of.

Things always get a lot worse for a long time before they get better, if you read the biographies of successful business people.

The biggest food delivery and group purchase discount company in China is Meituan which is worth hundred of billion of dollars. The founder had attempted and failed 50-60 projects/ventures for a span of ten years before even starting Meituan.

If you are worried about financial risk there is always ways to mitigate it smartly, invest small and look for market feedback before pouring in more money.

The other could be opportunity cost. If you have a nice paycheck and career ladder waiting for you in existing slow lane job, you might question is it worth devoting time to business which might lead you to nowhere, which the time could be better spent collecting more professional certifications and sucking up your boss...this is the question that you have to decide for yourself. When MJ was doing minimum wage job and doing side hustles, his CV is for sure screwed up from a slowlane perspective. You cannot have it both ways. Think about it carefully and make your bets. Don't place the chips on the tables yet until you are ready with the full consequences.
 
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Black_Dragon43

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I don't have any advice. I can only say that I tried Michael Singer's "let go" approach for several months and in the end actually found it a bit disrespectful in some way. He discredits the value of the experience and pushes a life in which you should pretend that you aren't yourself and whatever emotions you feel aren't real (because they just trigger your past conditioning).
I think this is only one side of the story. Michael Singer also encourages you to fully accept your emotions and not try to fight them. I find that focusing on “getting rid of” an emotion is typically the wrong focus, and only makes me more frustrated. There is a difference between “letting go” (of the struggle to get rid of) and getting rid of it. Singer’s approach is also heavily intuitive. To work with it, you must FEEL what to do, rather than THINK what to do. It’s sometimes difficult to access this especially if you’re like myself, quite a heady individual. I’ve noticed, by the way, that most people who deal with anxiety/depression/trauma are often the heady type.
 
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Mattie

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Science has advanced quite significantly in terms of understanding the function of different areas of the brain and how they operate in most people.

One thing we need to be careful of in science is creating a picture or story that will mesmerize us to the point of confusing it with reality. Science is a map. But the map is never the territory, which is always infinitely richer.

It’s very easy to attribute limitations where there are none, or to misattribute purpose or lack of it. Science is very likely to lead you down the wrong path when undertaken with certainty.

For example, years ago we thought that the appendix is a useless remnant of evolution. In 2007, William Parker and his colleagues at Duke University in North Carolina showed that the appendix is a storehouse of bacteria that is valuable to aid digestion and immunity.

And I will not even mention the 10+ stories I have when doctors trained in medical science were seriously wrong and misheaded about health issues for myself. I am not smarter than my doctors, but I do listen to my body, trust my intuition, and try to use logic in a way that goes off the prescriptions of the medical textbook. One trouble with science is that it chases the mirage of certainty. There is none. I could’ve been wrong based on my logic + intuitions and my doctors right, it was certainly a possibility. But in the mind of my doctors, there was no possibility that I’d be right. Therein is the difference.

The other point I’ll make is that science always comes in the game TOO LATE. First we know of a phenomenon empirically, by experience, and then create a map to account for it. Therefore if you want to push boundaries, you cannot use science - what science understands is never a frontier but well-trodden ground.

Subjectively it is possible to face real danger without feeling fear. Yes, you will still feel a rush of adrenaline, but no fear. I am telling you this because I’ve experienced it. I don’t know how this phenomenon is interpreted by science. All I know is that I’ve experienced it and it is a possibility, at least for me. I don’t have a map for this territory, but I’ve been through it.
I agree. I have read some of the old medical information, the old newspapers, and archives. We often give out information that is inaccurate as science progresses. I have found this out be true myself since 2008. This is why we upgrade every year, try to stay on top of the latest information, and life long learners. Fortunately, still information can be distorted and lack accuracy.

I can usually feel the adrenaline rush myself, it can do a lot to the nervous system when your in survival mode in the right situations. I think what most people focus on as fear, is really not that big of deal. The real fear is when you are in survival situation where it can be life or death.
 
D

Deleted70138

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Going to a self-help seminar, reading psychology books, meditating and putting your thumb up in your a$$, might help, but...

hiking through Sahara desert, being robbed, left without food and proper clothing, still hiking over High Atlas mountains in winter (and summiting it's highest peak), while sleeping outside with goats and trying to milk them, will definitely make you less anxious. Some nights were so cold, that I could not sleep and had to walk in circles to keep myself warm.
IMG_20171116_173709.jpgIMG_20171117_100307.jpg
 

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"That's the difference between unsuccessful people and successful people. Unsuccessful people feel the fear and let it stop them. Successful people feel the fear and go ahead anyway"

- Bryan Casella
People are great at developing negative narratives and worst case scenarios. We focus on the downside. Only few can anticipate, see or act on upside surprises.

I once was attacked by a mountain goat. It ran straight at me with horns out. I screamed like a banshee and charged back at it. Damn thing turned and ran but charged back again. I did the same. The second time I could have reached out and slapped its a$$ it was so close. Off it ran up a cliff.
I salute you!
 
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Mattie

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I think this is only one side of the story. Michael Singer also encourages you to fully accept your emotions and not try to fight them. I find that focusing on “getting rid of” an emotion is typically the wrong focus, and only makes me more frustrated. There is a difference between “letting go” (of the struggle to get rid of) and getting rid of it. Singer’s approach is also heavily intuitive. To work with it, you must FEEL what to do, rather than THINK what to do. It’s sometimes difficult to access this especially if you’re like myself, quite a heady individual. I’ve noticed, by the way, that most people who deal with anxiety/depression/trauma are often the heady type.
In my experience, I usually use my five senses of sight, touch, smell, taste, and touch in the environment. Naturally it is using your gut instinct, your intuition, your feeling, thinking, and judgment as this shows up in the INFJ experience. This is cognitive functions or the way I process information. Where other people might process information differently.

For example: if you're in burning building, your going to hear the alarms go off, look for the closest extinguisher, find the closest escape route. You know the door handle might be hot. You search for other escape routes like a window. You smell the smoke. You know to get on the floor and crawl. While your doing all this, your thinking of the steps your taking. You might have to use judgment if you find someone else in the burning location and your gut instinct and intuition whether you can save them and yourself, or you need to make a tough choice to choose one of you.

 

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I salute you!
I was 35 miles into a running hike across the grand canyon. Judgement may have been impaired. :)

 
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royalcorsair

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I'm going to be honest, I experience a lot of fear.

I have a constant knot in my stomach from anxiety. The thing is, I know it's completely irrational.

Will this kill me? No.
Will it physically hurt me? No.
Will I lose any money? No.
Could this ruin my life? No.

And yet, I feel uneasy about every step I take. How much easier everything would be without fear.

Have you also felt this way?

I know that action brings confidence, but is there a way to change my mindset to finally be at ease?
I've had the same problem. What I did was force myself to do something I otherwise would be scared to do. For example, in class I might be afraid to ask the teacher a question I really need to ask. So I forced myself to ask and from then on I regularly asked any question I needed answered without being scared.

Also, the phrase 'fake it till you make it' really helped. Pretend to be confident by doing things that people with confidence might do. Eventually, you yourself will be confident as that worked for me.

Anyway, good luck.
 
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Antifragile

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Going to a self-help seminar, reading psychology books, meditating and putting your thumb up in your a$$, might help, but...

hiking through Sahara desert, being robbed, left without food and proper clothing, still hiking over High Atlas mountains in winter (and summiting it's highest peak), while sleeping outside with goats and trying to milk them, will definitely make you less anxious. Some nights were so cold, that I could not sleep and had to walk in circles to keep myself warm.
View attachment 40108View attachment 40109
I think we do have a “comfort” crisis in the world. The wealthier the country, the more comfortable we are and the more negative emotions tend to grow.

Discomfort and unplugging from the comfortable lives we live offers a contrast like no other. For some it’s the dangers of adventure travel, for others its endurance races. Whatever rocks your world, but the key is just that - change your environment.

As far as science goes. I know there has been a ton of development into brain etc. But I also like to think in simple terms. Whatever was good for us as humans for the last 2 million years - is probably still good for us.

1. Cold exposure - that’s why I love Wim Hoff method.
2. Intermittent fasting and mostly plant based foods - good. Stuffing your face with McDonald’s crap - bad.
3. Sugar was rare (if ever available) and only through fruits. Don’t add garbage to your diet.
4. Fitness - you were born to run. You were born to walk. You should do a lot of it, daily. You were born to lift and carry things, yeah not just sitting on a couch and binge watching the latest crap TV show. Go lift things. Be active.
5. We are social animals. Don’t hide from the world, engage with other people and you’ll feel better.

Just to name a few things…

Closer to today’s world, I’d say coffee was around thousands of years, it’s not bad for you. Wine was around too, not bad either. Just everything in moderation.
 

Johnny boy

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How was the care? Sometime I feel like here in the US, we go way overboard on fancy beds, rooms, furnishings, etc... Something nice and simple about that photo...
Yeah it was amazing. Getting my foot infected, “nurses” ripping off my cheap bandages each day and taking the skin off with it, pouring hydrogen peroxide onto my wound that was larger than the size of my palm each day, my name being written down in their system as “Jahtin”. It was fantastic. The emergency room cost $3 for a visit.

India is a dump.

I recommend you go and when you see the lack of respect for human life, you’ll be so thankful of life in America or Europe.
 

SteveO

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Yeah it was amazing. Getting my foot infected, “nurses” ripping off my cheap bandages each day and taking the skin off with it, pouring hydrogen peroxide onto my wound that was larger than the size of my palm each day, my name being written down in their system as “Jahtin”. It was fantastic. The emergency room cost $3 for a visit.

India is a dump.

I recommend you go and when you see the lack of respect for human life, you’ll be so thankful of life in America or Europe.
I never had that pleasure. :)
 
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View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bFIB05LGtMs


Fear is an emotion that is wired to protect us from harm. So it’s real and it serves a real purpose. Humans of the distant past had a lot more danger in their lives than we experience today. So we naturally have gotten wussier while we simultaneously have kept the same wiring to fear shit.

There are legitimate things to fear, but most of the things modern humans fear are not dangerous and mostly hold us back.

If it is something that could broaden your horizons… My advice is to literally immerse yourself in the actual fear. I hated public speaking just 2 years ago. Yet, I signed up to speak at the fastlane summit intentionally to push myself. Today, I have a radio show and I speak publicly 3 times a week to way more people than that address. My heart rate doesn’t go up a single BPM when I sit in front of the, once scary, microphone now. The fear is literally gone.

That’s just one example of so so many times in my life where facing the fears, head-on, made me better and expanded my comfort zone.
 
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WJK

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I'm going to be honest, I experience a lot of fear.

I have a constant knot in my stomach from anxiety. The thing is, I know it's completely irrational.

Will this kill me? No.
Will it physically hurt me? No.
Will I lose any money? No.
Could this ruin my life? No.

And yet, I feel uneasy about every step I take. How much easier everything would be without fear.

Have you also felt this way?

I know that action brings confidence, but is there a way to change my mindset to finally be at ease?
People who are have no fear are fool hardy. They endanger themselves and other around them. Fear is a necessary element to keep you and those around you safe. It is a clue that danger is close to you and it should be considered. That danger must be factored into your decisions and direction. The way to mitigate it is through collecting information that leads to a better plan or to avoid the situation.

You are describing a situation where you aren't comfortable in your business decisions. You are taking the steps required to gain expertise. You won't feel comfortable until your activities become second nature to you. You must prove to yourself -- that not only that they work, but that you can make them work.
 

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