{"id":40162,"date":"2018-02-06T04:45:04","date_gmt":"2018-02-06T10:45:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/?p=40162"},"modified":"2018-02-06T04:45:04","modified_gmt":"2018-02-06T10:45:04","slug":"science-of-fear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/science-of-fear\/","title":{"rendered":"Prevent Fear from Keeping You Stuck"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fear is universal. The gymnast fears stumbling instead of sticking the perfect landing. The singer fears a moment of wavering pitch. The serious speaker fears laughter; the joker silence. We all fear failure.<\/p>\n

How we respond to fear, however, varies considerably and determines whether this emotion will help us achieve our goals or leave us less able meet the challenges we face. Fear doesn\u2019t have to be disabling. When properly understood and managed, fear can become a tool you use to your advantage.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n

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What is fear?<\/h3>\n

As with most emotions, defining fear is complex. Is it the physical response we feel when faced with danger? Does it apply to social dangers such as rejection and failure? Should the definition be reserved for the feeling we affiliate with this response and, if so, can the two be detached from one another? The debate is far from finished, even among scholars<\/a> of the subject.<\/p>\n

Luckily, you don\u2019t need to tackle the nuances of defining fear to master it. For our purposes, fear is the interwoven experience of fearful or anxious emotions with their physiological counterparts.<\/p>\n

1. Fear is physical<\/h3>\n

When you encounter an emotional, social, or physical threat, the sympathetic nervous system is called to action. What follows is a complex dance of hormonal secretion, peptide eruption, and neurotransmitter release. There is significantly more than adrenaline searing through your bloodstream. It is this soup medley that makes your palms sweaty and tightens your chest. It also speeds up your heart rate, driving more blood through your veins and delivering extra oxygen through your system.<\/p>\n

Adrenaline tends to get the fanfare because it can be responsible for seemingly superhuman feats. Jeff Wise recounts<\/a> the story of a Tucson man who raised the tire of a 3000 lb vehicle, freeing a fallen bicyclist. His story is fantastical, but not unique.The fear response is a fight-or-flight mechanism, specifically designed to help us fight off danger or run like the wind to escape. In either case, we need all the strength we can muster.<\/p>\n\t\t