Anxiety + Uncertainty = Fear - How To Overcome It

COMMUNITY POST

Topic

Anxiety + Uncertainty = Fear

(Learn To Overcome It)

We are experiencing a time of great anxiety and uncertainty. The world is in chaos with so many unknowns for our country’s health, economy and future. This pandemic is the fuel in our fire, but how do we douse the flames of fear and find ease and control in the environments we are confined to? A sucker for learning about brain function and how to achieve higher levels of performance, I recently watched a podcast that featured Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist from Standford who provided great insight on how to navigate in uncertain times and shift to an optimal state of mind. Speaking to the idea that anxiety + uncertainty = fear was the perfect formula for a basic understanding about how we may be feeling and where we can focus to gain peace of mind. The feeling of anxiety independent of other emotions is merely the feeling of nervousness like when you’re preparing to speak in front of a large group of people. You are aware of why you feel the way you do so your brain will mitigate the feeling of anxiousness verse causing your body to go into a fight or flight response which can be triggered by fear. Now combine the feeling of anxiety with uncertainty, like a worldwide pandemic, and the emotion of fear is produced. Fear is generated as the response because it is an unknown anxiety. When in a state of fear our brains have limited visual depth. This is a time when our thoughts become very narrow and focused rather than having the ability to multitask. By focusing on one’s anxiousness and taking steps to ease the heightened emotion, one reduces anxiety and subsequently the feeling of fear. A few examples would be to take six slow deep breaths in and out or doing something that is familiar and comfortable for you, like making your favorite cup of coffee. Uncertainty is the perspective of lacking control, therefore, to ease this emotion its helpful to look at what you can control. Asking ourselves questions like, “what can I control?” or “is there another way I can perceive this situation?” Whatever it is you can control and do, take steps to put them into action. Forward motion no matter how small, calms us down. This improves our brain functions allowing us to organize our thoughts and behaviors more methodically. In times like these, finding new perspectives and solutions opens the window for each of us to perform at an optimal state. At this stage of the game, most of us would prefer optimal over living in fear. At California Canopy we hope this post supports you in letting go of fear and taking steps to perform optimally during these pandemic times.   Have a pressing topic you'd like us to discuss? Send us an email at Info@CaliforniaCanopy.com   Check out our Branding Questions of the Week (BQW)