To Fear or Not to Fear
Tammy Gannon, LMSW
Two things we fear most are isolation and feeling out of control. Clearly, the Coronavirus has caused us to face both of these fears head-on. Fear of the Coronavirus, according to Dr. Eugene Choi, is deadlier than the virus itself. Our brains tend to automatically pay attention to those things that frighten us. When we fear, our amygdala activates and we enter the fight-flight-freeze response. (It’s what’s causing so many of us to buy way too much toilet paper.) The fact that we are fearful is understandable; it’s just not helpful to remain there.
When in this reactive state, our bodies start producing cortisol to help us handle the stress, but too much cortisol weakens our immune systems! Our brains and bodies cannot tolerate constant cortisol overload. Daily we’re exposed to bacteria, viruses, fungus and an array of foreign particles, AND it’s our immune systems that keep us from getting sick. Now more than ever is the time to take good care of ourselves emotionally, mentally, physically, relationally, and spiritually.
Chronic fear leads to chronic stress, which produces anxiety and depression. As our perceived control diminishes, we can become ambushed by anxiety as our stress increases. “Anxious fear brings depression, but a life-giving word of encouragement can do wonders to restore joy to the heart.” Proverbs 12:25 Thankfully, we can speak life-giving words to ourselves; they don’t have to come from someone else.
Our thoughts produce our feelings. It’s important to pay attention to all of our thoughts and feelings because they are indicators. They’re telling us something, but they aren’t dictators. We control them; they do NOT control us. It’s helpful, too, to remember that anger is a secondary emotion; it’s always traveling with another emotion. A good question to ask when feeling angry is simply what other emotion is with it, e.g., frustration, fear, hurt, disappointment, sadness, confusion, boredom, etc. Feelings buried alive never die, so refrain from stuffing those uncomfortable/unwelcomed feelings. What we can feel, we can heal. “Pour out all of your worries and stress upon Him and leave them there, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
If we’re thinking negatively, a simple thought-stopping technique is: recognize it, refuse to allow it to continue, relax by breathing deeply, reframe the situation, which challenges us to come up with an alternative thought, belief, or outcome that isn’t negative, and then we can resume what we were doing. Think positively and imagine positive outcomes. “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious---the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.” Philippians 4:8
Suggestions:
Pray and listen to praise and worship music. “Worship is one of the great weapons against fear” John Ortberg
Read encouraging information, books and Scripture.
Journal the highs and the lows.
Deep breathing: inhale deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Repeat several times. This will calm you.
Focus on what you’re grateful for and the things that are going well.
Do the next best right thing.
Think about all of those on the frontlines working to contain this virus.
Spend time connecting with others and share what’s been helpful and what’s heavy in the moment. “A joy shared is multiplied; a sorrow shared is divided.” Swedish proverb It is difficult for the brain to attune to others when it is afraid, but when we practice paying attention to others, our fear dissipates.
Limit news intake. Sadly, fear has gone viral.
Watch something uplifting or funny. Laughter is great medicine.
Play games, listen to music & podcasts, go for walks, or spend time on projects & hobbies.
Be mindful of the moment attending to what is happening now, not what may happen. Anxiety is typically in the future; it’s those what-ifs………Matthew 6:34 tells us to refuse to worry about tomorrow.
Challenge: Let’s make empathy, connection, and God-stories even more contagious than fear!!
Serenity Prayer: May God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can and wisdom to know the difference. Amen.
(Some content adapted from an article by Dr. Eugene Choi)