Topic Tuesday / 14 July 7pm AEST / Fear; What would you do if you weren't afraid?

[happygirl]

When I go through fear I feel anxious and have butterflies in my stomach. I know what response I want to make but I freeze. By the time I am ready to say or do something the monemt has passed and I am left feeling regret for not doing or saying what I wanted to.

[NikNik]

@Eagle

That's a great way of looking at it.

There's a huge scale of the intensity of fear.

If your quality of life is compromised or you want to make a change - you should seek advice from a professional.

@soul that must have been really scary!

As I mentioned above - when your body gears up for a flight or fight response, and then the physical activity doesn't take place, there is an imbalance that takes place - so as an example - excess oxygen can cause dizziness. I'm sure an increased heart rate can cause chest pains, as you mentioned.

[simply_me]

The medicos who support me are great and I am very grateful for everything they offer - however, I have lived with anxiety for much of my life (nearly 56 now) - there just doesn't seem to be a treatment / medication to really assist in any significant manner - so, anxiety is very much a way of life.

[soul]

I find my fear is the worst when I wake up in the middle of the night. Sleep gives me a reprieve from my worries but when I wake and the chasm between that unconscious state and reality is so huge and apparent again, panic sets in.

[greenspace]

If I could manage my anxiety better I would do more, because I wouldn't avoid things out of fear, plus I would have more energy - being anxious or fearful a lot of the time is tiring!

[simply_me]

can so relate to this - I call it a state of emotional paralysis

[NikNik]

@happygirl - you're not the only one! Some argue that we should call the reaction to fear 'Flight, fight or freeze' !

Tonight we will look at some tips and strategies to face fear which I hope will help you when you freeze - and I encourage people to later share things that have worked for them.

But for now... I'm curious to know, is there something specific that causes fear and anxiety for you or is it unpredictable?

[NikNik]

Totally @greenspace
Not only emotionally tiring, but your body is working so hard, it's physically tiring!

[greenspace]

Happygirl, that's so frustrating, isn't it? I've sometimes re-written an interaction with someone in my imagination so that I'll stop beating myself up about it or going over & over it in my mind, feeling embarrassed and annoyed with myself

[happygirl]

My fear is always in relation to my mother and my studies. I am a very shy person so would this contribute to me freezing or is it the fear?