Fear. It is running rampant throughout the world right now. You don’t have to go far to find it. Just flip on the tv or glance at your phone.
Just as you or I may be feeling anxious about things, so is the rest of the world. When we watch or listen to all of this, we must keep that in mind
What are some of the ways that fear manifests in other people that we can possibly recognize? This is important to know so that we can keep the other persons fear from triggering more of our own.
Also, if we recognize another persons actions as based in fear, we can then have compassion or empathy for them, rather than being triggered toward possible anger or panic.
We must realize that fear is at the core of almost every negative action/reaction or response. Here are a few:
⚡️Panic. The most recognizable expression of fear. It is also the most real and vulnerable. This is usually authentic, unless a person is using it to try and exaggerate a viewpoint, which would be a kind of manipulation to get your buy-in, also born from an even deeper insecurity.
⚡️Anger. This is an easily recognizable manifestation of fear. Anger is a secondary emotion. Beneath it is always some kind of fear, insecurity, or worry.
⚡️Rigid thinking. When you hear someone with rigid beliefs who does not seem to be open-minded to other possibilities, that is fear. Usually the fear of losing their sense of self or self-worth is tied up in those beliefs.
⚡️Control. When some people get scared, they try to control everything they can to bring some relief. The belief that they have control helps ease the fear, although it is usually unrealistic. We see this in combination with rigid thinking when a person trying to force their opinions on others.
⚡️Judgement. Even more so, self-righteous judgement of other people, things or situations. This is a protective measure a person takes out of fear, to keep his or her egos illusion of self worth and dignity.
⚡️Avoidance. You may not see this much out in the world, although may be experiencing it yourself. The belief that if we avoid the issue, it will go away. This is the fear of looking at it directly.
⚡️Denial. Similar to avoidance, but rather than just looking away, it makes an effort to actually deny what is fearful, possibly by false statement that counteract the truth of what is happening.
⚡️Withdrawal. When fear becomes so overwhelming that it may be too much for a person to handle, they may shrink or withdraw inward to protect themselves. This occurs when the fear reaches potentially traumatic levels.
There are many others ways in which fear manifests as well. Let’s try to keep these in mind as we witness others through this time of crisis.
Let’s have compassion for them rather than judgment, as that judgment is a fear of our own that we must manage as well 🙏
For any questions or comments, feel free to contact Troy