Learn to be afraid, very, very afraid, or why staying in your comfort zone is a good thing.
I know people tell you to step outside your comfort zone, and that the only thing you have to fear is fear itself, but there is a reason it’s called a ‘comfort zone’ which is because you are comfortable there. You have everything to fear except fear itself. Fear is the emotion and everything else is the cause of the fear.
For instance lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my. I mean wild animals they could tear you shreds or gore you with their antlers or stampede you with their hooves. Spiders, because they’re poisonous and the fact that they’re pretty dang small makes them all the more frightening. So much so that they’re dead if they ever step foot into my house.
If you’re afraid of heights then the safest place to be is on the ground. It doesn’t matter if you’re on a completely earthquake ready building. If you’re high in the air you could fall to your death. Basically anything that could end in death should be feared. Let’s take a look at more things to be afraid of.
Knives and sharp instruments. Sure you need to cut a steak or other piece of meat. But think about the meat of your flesh as you accidentally slice into a finger. I’m sorry I don’t want to cut myself so I’m afraid of using knives. Cars and just about any vehicle are just rolling coffins. I don’t want to get into any accident so I’m afraid of getting into any vehicles.
I’m afraid of food poisoning so I don’t go out to restaurants. People, because they can be irate and literally tear our head off. Water for fear of drowning. There are many more things to be afraid of, so why on Earth would I want to leave my room?
In order to stay completely safe how do we stay afraid enough not to try new things? First don’t try to analyze it. Fears are irrational anyway, so analyzing it means putting it into a rational context which will slowly desensitize yourself to the fear.
For instance if you’re afraid of talking to people you could start by talking to friends you know, and gradually to people you know less and finally to complete strangers. So you don’t really want to do anything that desensitizes you to the fear. Just walk away and don’t look anyone in the eye.
Don’t confront your fears. If you get scared then you get a surge of adrenaline, and if you keep doing this you’ll eventually just overcome it outright. So don’t attempt to desensitize yourself and at the same time don’t confront your fear as this might help you overcome it all at once.
Eighty percent of the fear is actually in your mind. So to keep yourself safe you want to keep those little negative thoughts constantly in your mind. Don’t try to change it for the positive and don’t try to stop thinking about it. Meditate upon the fear and the fear will grow even larger. This will keep you from stepping outside of your comfort zone and will keep you safe and sound.
Hopefully this has given you some food for thought. The next time you feel like overcoming a ‘fear’, realize that fear is what keeps you safe. Of course it may be the most boring way to live but we’re not interested in what’s exciting, just what’s safe.
Until ‘Monday’