The Fear response, prehistory, realising potential and other wonders…

The slayer of dreams, the denier of possibilities, the vanquisher of authenticity .The killer of potential. Fear; we know what it is and we have all experienced it at some point in our lives. Some have overcome this monster and others have shied away and run in the opposite direction. Why is this? Why do some people view fear as a challenge and something to be overcome, and why do others cower in the face of it? A very interesting question. The emotion of fear is attributed to the primal part of our brain- the amygdala- and this is a component of the limbic system which is responsible for the processing of emotions. This region of the brain which is part of our ‘primal brain’, is near the base of the brain stem, and in times gone by it was this part of the brain that was primarily used. Since these prehistoric times and during the course of evolution, our brains have become more involved and much more complex as well as much bigger. This is why the area known as the amygdala is involved in the fight or flight response…because in these prehistoric times stoneage men and women literally had to fight or run for their food or for their lives to survive!

Anyway, back to the current day, and the amygdala still plays a hugely significant role in our lives. Our DNA and our brains have held on to these primitive parts of our ancestry and they are very much a part of who we are, and this is evidenced by our emotional responses. Fight of flight… The most basic response mechanism that is possible. Should I stay and face the adversary or should I run in fright. Our reaction in this situation will prove our mettle as a human being. What are we made of? Will we do what we would want to do and face the scary ogre in front of us, or will we not be able to stand up to the challenge?  For us homo sapiens in the modern age, The way in which this response presents itself is not so much in terms of our mortality, but more so in the acceptance of personal feats and challenges. Will we rise to the occasion, face our fear and overcome it, or will we back down in shame. This is a very pertinent question.

You see, in the modern age and especially in this age of expanding consciousness, more and more people around the globe are awakening to the way in which the corporate system operates and realising that they are just a cog in a relentless machine. When this realisation dawns, the cogs (no pun intended) begin to turn and a thought process begins from which there is no turning back from. We are working for somebody else and are in a never-ending cycle of bills and getting paid and mortgage repayments that never ceases. For the majority of individuals this is fine and it is true that you are a valuable and contributing member of society where your loyalty will pay off great dividends, but for others they want out of this race and they want to run their own race where they are only in competition with themselves and the rewards are great. They can see a horizon where greatness lay in the distance and where the feeling of being in this newfound reality is almost palpable. They WANT it… But the question is how can they get there? Before they can reach this horizon a fear needs to be confronted…a fear where instability paves the road and where security is lacking. Sure, you can stay where you are and live a secure life where you will never be wanting, but will you be happy? Will you be ok with the fact that you might have a regret about that chance you never took…that passion you never followed…that horizon you never reached? I’m guessing that you’ll be saying NO, so with that in mind, you will need to face your fear, and fight instead of flee. This will be hard as it is the road less traveled; but you know that you would have met the challenge and at least given it your best shot.

As it happens, we can ‘re-wire’ our brains to reduce the feeling of fear and to inhibit the fear response. This is great, because this potentially means that we have the ability to face greater challenges! This is what is called ‘neuroplasticity’, an area of brain study where one can create new neural pathways in the brain through the act of confronting a situation in a different way and thinking about problems in new and innovative ways. The reasoning behind neuroplasticity is that through the act of not thinking in the same way continuously and creating new ways of thinking we can build new neural connections. This also makes us smarter!

Similarly, by confronting fear continuously and facing challenges regularly, they become less daunting over time because the stimulus of fear is being aroused regularly and a conditioned response is no longer as pronounced as it once was. Long story short, face challenges regularly and you will surprise yourself at what you can achieve.

 Go forth and conquer!