“Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Can you relate to this statement? Fear is part of the human condition: physiological wiring that keeps us alert to danger, so we stick around for the human experience. Productive fear gets us out of the way of a moving car or back from the edge of a crumbling cliff – but what about unproductive fear?
We may call it by different names – stress, tension, even anger, sadness, depression – but when our nervous system gets triggered by what it perceives as danger, the physiological effects are extensive. Like heaviness or tension in the chest; constriction in the neck/shoulders; a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach; alteration in your voice; needing to go to the bathroom frequently; over-eating; under-eating; trouble sleeping, irritability, lethargy, addictions, auto-immune disorders, chronic pain, the list can go on and on.
And then there are the effects on our life in the world. Not doing something we really want to do, but are afraid to. Just like the quote above, being defeated before we even try – or maybe we do try, but those fearful thoughts about failure only seem more fully justified, if that expectation is fulfilled.
So here’s the thing. It’s not about getting rid of fear – fear is simply part of our ‘hardware.’ Instead, our challenge is to expand our consciousness beyond unproductive automatic reactions; to cultivate a sense of expanded equanimity, within which our fear can be experienced, but doesn’t overwhelm. It’s possible to shift our energetic set-point to where fear is managed through wisdom, rather than being a force we cannot control.
How your nervous system operates
It can be useful to know how the different parts of your nervous systems interact with fear. The fight, flight, or freeze reaction is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system. When a threat is perceived, this system is triggered, in turn triggering the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol into our bodies in order for us to prepare ourselves either to confront or run away from danger. This saves our lives when we are in actual danger but becomes unhelpful if activated repeatedly by non-threatening situations which leads us into chronic stress and anxiety.
Also referred to as the ‘rest-and-digest’ system, after the danger has gone the parasympathetic nervous system works to bring us back down into a calm state.
Understanding Triggers
Different triggers will activate your nervous system. A trigger is any stimulus that elicits intense emotional reactions because it reminds you of past experiences or traumas. These can be things external like places, sounds or smells associated with certain events in your life while they could also be internal like certain thoughts/memories.
External Triggers: These come from outside ourselves; they’re usually what people think about most often when they hear someone talk about being “triggered.” For example – a person who was once attacked by dogs may still feel terrified every time he/she sees one even though there’s nothing suggesting this particular animal poses any threat at all. Of course, triggers can also be positive – for example, we might associate a certain food with positive memories or a person we love.
Internal Triggers: Thoughts, memories, or physical sensations that provoke emotional responses are considered internal triggers. For instance fleeting memories about past embarrassments may induce feelings of shame or anxiety. Internal triggers tend to arise out of subconscious associations formed through prior experience.
It can be said though that all our triggers are internal – we are triggered by the external stimuli according to the ways in which our minds categorize these stimuli. Our reaction depends on what they mean to us and on beliefs and emotions stored in our subconscious.
Triggering Fear
Subconscious programming plays a significant role in triggering fear. Past traumas, negative experiences, and ingrained beliefs can create automatic fear responses to specific stimuli. For example, someone who experienced rejection in the past may have a subconscious fear of social situations, leading to social anxiety. One single thought can be enough to trigger deep seated fears.
A negative mindset, characterized by pessimistic and fearful thoughts, can also contribute to triggering fear. Habitual thoughts of failure, inadequacy, or disaster can create a mental environment where fear thrives. This mindset can cause us to interpret neutral or even positive situations as threatening, reinforcing our fear responses.
Recognizing and understanding these various sources of fear is the first step in managing them. By becoming aware of how our nervous system, subconscious programming, mindset, and habitual thoughts contribute to our fear responses, we can develop strategies to address and mitigate these influences.
Beyond Fear – Navigating Life With Wisdom
Obviously, fear is meant to be protective and it has served you well many times in your life by keeping you safe. Fear alerts us to real danger or it helps motivate us and push us into action.
Our fear will always have some message for us – sometimes the message is to avoid something. Other times, its message is about our inner world and experience of life.
We all desire to live at peace and to experience a greater sense of security. Like I said above, it’s not about getting rid of fear – fear is simply part of our ‘hardware.’ Instead, we need to expand our consciousness beyond unproductive automatic reactions and to access our inner wisdom.
But how do we do that? How do we grow our internal network of security, in a world that seems so full of danger? That’s the first clue: don’t look for it out “there.”
Creating a network of safety and security is truly an inside job. And one of the foremost tools to do this is meditation. In meditation, we can learn to deliberately down-regulate our nervous system. To turn off the automatic fight/flight/freeze reactions when they aren’t necessary. To recognize our triggers and re-direct them, before we get taken over.
Meditation is an essential tool for navigating the world. We may not be able to change the world, but we can change ourselves one meditation at a time.
There is no greater illusion than fear.
No greater wrong than preparing to defend yourself,
No greater misfortune than having an enemy.
Whoever can see through all fear
Will always be safe.
(Tao te Ching Chapter 46
Stephen Mitchell translation)