A useful feeling of fear is that. Fear Benefits - Seven Reasons Fear as an instinct for self-preservation

There are no completely fearless people. Everyone has phobias of one kind or another. We all experienced fear. Scientists have long since proven the benefits of fear. This feeling is natural, and there is no need to be afraid of it, because such a reaction helps us to get away from many problems and dangers.

Useful fear

Scientists have been studying human evolution for many years, they have proved that only thanks to fear, mankind managed to survive. In addition, fear contributed to the development of our species. When a sense of danger arose, our ancestors sought to avoid the source of trouble. If a man went to meet danger, most likely, our species would have died out long ago. The ancients were afraid of thunder and lightning, they did not die from these natural phenomena, as they sought refuge during a thunderstorm. A meeting with a wild animal without means of protection promised death, so a person was forced to invent a weapon for hunting.

Modern man feels insecure in the dark. But the fear of the dark gives us protection, since we will not take potentially dangerous actions. It is unlikely that a young girl will go along the dark night streets to call upon herself trouble. Even moving around in your own apartment when the lights are off can lead to injury. So, in the first case, there is a high probability of becoming a victim of criminals, in the second - to receive a domestic injury.

These are simple examples of the benefits of fear. It should be noted that in case of danger, our body releases a large amount of adrenaline into the bloodstream. This one quickly disintegrates, but in a short period of time it manages to mobilize all the forces of the body, so a person experiences a surge of strength and an extraordinary sense of his own power. It is natural for a person to overcome himself under the influence of adrenaline, and this gives us a chance to learn about the new possibilities of our body, we have a desire to do more and discover new horizons for ourselves.

To overcome themselves, some people decide to skydive or take driving courses. Getting rid of a phobia gives you strength and confidence. Such people often begin to make progress in other areas of life.

An example of the benefits of fear can help you learn to swim. Remember how our parents told us that the first time they learned to swim was when they were thrown out of the boat, or a neighbor decided to play a trick and threw it from the bridge into the lake? It really helps, as adrenaline activates the body's hidden reserves. The drowning man will instinctively move his arms and legs so as not to drown, and will learn to swim.

The benefit of fear is to help a person stay alive. Fear protects us from potentially dangerous situations. If a lot of adrenaline is released into the body, we act according to instincts, thereby saving ourselves. Fear makes it possible to become better and improve ourselves, because, overcoming phobias, we begin to respect ourselves and believe in our own strength.

Today it is relevant to say that negative emotions affect human health. One of these emotions is fear, but, oddly enough, doctors do not consider it unhealthy. Fear is a natural human emotion, provided by nature as a defensive reaction, the moment of mobilizing the body's resources for protection.

No one is free from the feeling of fear, just someone experiences it in to a greater extent, some - in less. This difference depends on innate personality traits and their influence on the degree of our resistance to fears and the ability to cope with them.

All people can be categorized according to the way in which they are used to experiencing fear. So, there are people who are constantly worried about something, maintaining a sense of anxiety in themselves. Others look outwardly calm, pretending that nothing bothers them, but in fact, their fears insidiously and imperceptibly absorb them completely and completely, giving rise to new fears. There are those who say that they are not afraid of anything, that they can handle everything, and even fears do not scare them, they try to understand them, perceiving this way as a path to freedom, a way to prove to yourself and others how hard they try, which in general is already fear. But there are people who are simply paralyzed by fear, who are afraid of everything: going out into the street after dark, afraid of losing their jobs, fearing that they have no time or money, that no one loves them or that they will get sick. The main danger for such people is that fear tends to come true, like a prediction.

There are six main fears that each person experiences to one degree or another:

1. Fear of survival.
2. Fear of the unknown.
3. Fear of being abandoned.
4. Fear of betrayal.
5. Fear of rejection.
6. Fear of death.

Interestingly, within each of these fears lies a host of other doubts that we face. So, the fear of change, as the basis of the fear of the unknown, worrying about financial losses, originates in the fear of survival, and the fear of loneliness nests in the fear of being abandoned. If a person is worried about health, then ultimately he is worried about the fear of death. Showing distrust towards everyone refers to the fear of betrayal. That is, everything that we are afraid of in life can be explained by several points.

Physicians and psychologists have found that each of the six types of fear manifests itself in a specific place in the spine and affects specific nerve trunks that run through the body and spinal cord. It turns out that when we experience one of the six types of fear, this is necessarily reflected in our well-being and the state of the spine.

The nature of the feeling of fear

Feeling fear, our body reacts to this with changes in various organs: heart, adrenal glands, spleen, reproductive organs. Fear raises levels of cortisol in the body, a hormone that affects the immune system. Such changes lead to the openness of the immune system: it is more susceptible to viral and bacterial infections, cancer, autoimmune disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, gastritis, asthma, diabetes, etc. Being constantly in a state of anxiety, the body becomes prone to high blood pressure and chronic inflammation of the vascular walls , the likelihood of heart failure increases.

From a psychological point of view, fear becomes a source of phobias, neuroses, addictions, passive-aggressive states. Today, disorders caused by a sense of fear are a fairly urgent problem.

Medical statistics claim that out of all visits to a psychologist, one third is associated with feelings of anxiety and fear. Fear is also the reason for 50% of all visits to a gastroenterologist and neurologist, 20% of visits to a cardiologist.

Due to the fact that most of the population lives in conditions extreme situation developing a sense of fear while doing this is a completely normal reaction. But there is a pathological anxiety for which there are no special reasons, it is not caused by any inadequate situation that disrupts the rhythm of our life.

The main thing to remember about the emotion of fear is that it does not go unnoticed for the body. And even the slightest premonition of the bad can cause the physical consequences of fear, and when an extreme situation occurs, the body is already weakened, not ready to survive stress. If the body experiences chronic fear, then it is no longer ready to defend itself in a really necessary situation. When fear arises suddenly, the "fight or flight" mechanism is triggered, saturating the body chemicals... In this case, a heart attack may even occur from severe fright.

If you attend my trainings and webinars on overcoming stress and fear, and complete all the necessary exercises, then as a result you will get rid of most of your fears, and the rest will become much weaker. However, before you do this, I would like to draw your attention to the positive role of fear for a person.

At first, superficial glance, fear brings little pleasant to a person - it brings him unpleasant sensations, deprives him of joy, does not allow many pleasant things to be done and can lead to psychosomatic diseases.

But fear, as it turns out, can be beneficial as well. Initially, this emotion arose in the process of evolution in order to protect the human body from all kinds of dangers of primitive life. But then, when man changed nature and built a new habitat around himself, the fear reaction began to malfunction and lead to all sorts of troubles.

Fear, like pain, is the body's watchdog, which protects it from harmful external influences, from risky actions and danger, thereby helping to maintain health and well-being. Let us analyze the benefits that the body should have initially derived from the fear reaction, and see in which cases fear is useful for a person, and in which it does harm to him.

First, fear saves our lives stopping in front of a dangerous situation. We don’t swim far out to sea, don’t put our fingers in a socket, and we try not to walk the dark alleys alone. As the ancient Somali proverb says, “A mother of a coward does not lose her son,” and in this regard, fear is useful for human life and health.

Second, fear mobilizes human strength for vigorous activity , which is often necessary in a critical situation. Fear sharply increases physical strength, increases clarity and clarity of thinking. In fear, a person is able to undertake what seems impossible to him without fear. This is due to the release of adrenaline into the bloodstream, which improves the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles, which allows them to develop more power.

Third, fear acts as a regulator of aggressiveness and serves as a statement of the social order ... Fear of punishment restrains the manifestation of primary biological aggression, and also keeps many citizens within the law. Fear of punishment is the main deterrent for people who intend to harm someone else's property or health. An example of this is outbreaks of looting and violence that accompany almost any extreme event. One client once confessed to me that while visiting a flea market in Paris, she suddenly had an irresistible urge to steal the statuette she liked from the counter - although she could afford to buy it. The saleswoman turned away for a minute and ... .. But then she thought about the police, got scared - and kept her honest name, and also got rid of possible troubles.

Fourth, fear promotes better memorization of dangerous or unpleasant events . Fear activates the work of memory and makes its traces especially durable. So, our ancestors remembered the places where they were attacked by wild animals or people from a hostile tribe. Another example: a child who was burned once by an open fire remembers this for a long time.

Fifth important, the meaning of fear - the ability to act in conditions of lack of information , when it is not enough to make a well-thought-out decision. Then the strategy of behavior is dictated by fear. If the brain does not know what to do in a critical situation, and the mind does not have a balanced and logic-tested recipe, then the body prefers to rely on the centuries-old experience of instincts and emotions.

Another, sixth, positive role of fear is aggravation of all human senses under its influence that allows you to see or even anticipate the smallest signs of danger. Polish psychotherapist A. Kempinski wrote about this: “Sometimes in some people one can observe the ability to predict an impending danger: there is nothing in the picture of reality to indicate it, but, nevertheless, anxiety appears, which accompanies in a dream or in reality the picture approaching misfortune. In this case, subthreshold stimuli that do not penetrate into consciousness can signal a threatening danger. "

Another, seventh, positive meaning of fear is that through overcoming it, human improvement can occur . As Fritz Riemann wrote, “if we understand our agonizing fear also as an indication of the need to search for mistakes in our own behavior or as a fear of new demands in life, as a result of which we do not dare to take a new step in our development, we must accept and understand it as an invitation to enter a new stage of our development, as a call for new freedom and, at the same time, for a new order and new responsibility. In this sense, we must view fear in its positive, creative aspect, as an initiator of change. " For example, since childhood I was afraid of heights, because I once climbed a high poplar and could not get off for a long time. As a result - to get rid of this fear I jumped with a parachute - after which my self-esteem increased.

So, dear subscribers, if you intend to completely get rid of your fears, think - maybe you will leave yourself a small amount of this faithful watchman who protects your life, health and property? After all, we will not kill an out of place barking dog, which is only to blame for the fact that it too zealously guards the master's property?

What is fear? This feeling was given to man by Mother Nature and was originally intended to preserve life. But besides that, fear can become a signal for us that at the moment we can learn something new. And this feeling is really useful.

Fear as a Sign of Personal Growth

This fear signals us that we are on a truly right path. This feeling does not paralyze or lead to flight, it gives the feeling that you are standing on the threshold of some important event... If you overcome this fear and take the right step forward, you can make significant progress in terms of personal development.

Of course, there are other types of fears as well. They are also useful, but more unpleasant. These sensations include the feeling when you are walking through the forest, and suddenly you realize that there is a viper in front of you. Or, you may be triggered by an unexpected subpoena for such negative emotions.

But now we will talk about a slightly different type of fear. It can be recognized by its special feeling and used as an unexpected and useful clue in moments of doubt. Try or better not, commit or stay in place, leave your comfort zone, or stop forever in your growth and development. Such fear may indicate that at the moment you are expanding your horizons, and you have a chance to learn something completely new and important.

Psychologists argue that the ingredients for our success are divided according to the principle of 40:30:30

40% are the physical abilities of a person (efficiency, energy, perseverance, etc.);
30% is experience and knowledge;
30% - the ability to take risks.

The question of risk is the likelihood of a fall, and without fear of failure, you are unlikely to be able to reach the tops. That is why a person must distinguish between the feeling of fear that restrains him on the way to new achievements and successes and overcome it.

Fear as an instinct for self-preservation

There is such a thing as healthy fear. It does not wedge us, and does not interfere with sanity. This feeling protects us from danger, and arises much earlier than a possible threat. For example, everyone knows that deserted parks are not the best place for night and evening walks, so they are usually avoided. Fear protects against danger. This is the feeling that prevents you from stroking a hot iron or sticking your hand into the fire. You may not feel such fear, but it exists in your head.

Other pros of fear

Practice shows that a strong fear changes the sense of time. A person who is faced with such an emotion is doing much more than usual. But this effect does not last long, and after it apathy and depression may occur.

In addition, fear can enhance the zest for life. Perhaps that is why people consciously expose themselves to scary things: watching horror movies, doing extreme sports, skydiving, etc. War veterans often recall that the hard times of hostilities were the happiest moments of their lives.

Fear perfectly relieves irritability, negative emotions and is even able to fight depression and depressed states. Despite the fact that this statement is rather contrary to sound logic, nevertheless, it is confirmed by repeated experiments by neuroscientists.

Physiology

During the test of horror, our body carries out several different processes: it speeds up breathing and heartbeat, strains the muscles of the body, increases the concentration of attention on possible danger in order to be able to realize a possible reaction. Such fear can be pleasant if the person realizes that he is not in real danger. At the same time, adrenaline is synthesized in the body, which gives pleasure and pleasure.

The love of fear helps humanity to gain new knowledge and discover new territories, surrounding itself to the maximum with various safety net. Many scientists are confident that adrenaline is an excellent driving force for scientific progress.

The harm of fear

But fear can be harmful if it is irrational and named. Such fears do not allow a person to logically assess the situation and plunge him into a state of complete horror. Such pathological conditions need to be fought, and the period of getting rid of them can be long-term and difficult. Scientists have so far been able to find the area of ​​the human brain responsible for fear. Experiments are underway with animals in order to learn how to influence this area. This will help people with phobias, which are quite a serious psychological problem.

Fear is an amazing feeling that can benefit us, contributing to our development, save our lives, or vice versa, strongly poison our everyday life.

Ekaterina, www.site
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BENEFITS FROM OUR INSURANCE

At first, superficial glance, fear brings little pleasant to a person - it brings him unpleasant sensations, deprives him of joy, does not allow many pleasant things to be done and can lead to psychosomatic diseases.

But fear, as it turns out, can be beneficial as well. Initially, this emotion arose in the process of evolution in order to protect the human body from all kinds of dangers of primitive life. It was only later, when man radically changed nature and built a new habitat around himself (both technogenic and social), the fear reaction began to malfunction and lead to all sorts of troubles. But you will also treat the evolutionary process with understanding - after all, when 40 thousand years ago it ended in general outline work on the formation of the human brain, he lived in completely different conditions, in which there was no place for cars, air conditioners and aspirin, and his main companions were cold, hunger and predators. Therefore, demanding that our body be ideally suited to the current environment is as ridiculous as trying to boil tea on an iron (which, in principle, is possible - I had to do this in the army, but it's inconvenient).

Fear, like pain, is the body's watchdog, which protects it from harmful external influences, from risky actions and danger, thereby helping to maintain health and well-being. Let us analyze the benefits that the body should have initially derived from the fear reaction, and see in which cases fear is useful for a person, and in which it does harm to him.

First, fear saves our lives stopping in front of a dangerous situation. We don’t swim far out to sea, don’t put our fingers in a socket, and we don’t try to walk the dark alleys alone. As the ancient Somali proverb says, “A mother of a coward does not lose her son,” and in this regard, fear is useful for human life and health.

Second, fear mobilizes human strength for vigorous activity , which is often necessary in a critical situation. Former scout, and now the writer V. Suvorov writes: “Fear is one of the manifestations of the instinct of self-preservation. Fear sharply increases physical strength, increases clarity and clarity of thinking. In fear, a person is able to undertake what seems impossible to him without fear. " This is due to the release of adrenaline into the bloodstream, which improves the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles, which allows them to develop more power.

Third, fear acts as a regulator of aggressiveness and serves as a statement of the social order ... Fear of punishment restrains the manifestation of primary biological aggression, and also keeps many citizens within the law. Human behavior, like any other living creature, is regulated by positive and negative reinforcement ("carrot and stick"). However, if we look into the criminal code, we will see there only a "whip" - a fine for such and such an offense, for such and such - a prison, for such and such - correctional labor. It turns out that the fear of punishment is the main deterrent for people who intend to harm someone else's property or health. An example of this is outbreaks of looting and violence that accompany almost any extreme event. As an example, we can recall the episode with the failure of an electrical substation that occurred in New York in the 60s. In an hour and a half, during which a large area of ​​this city was plunged into darkness, a significant part of its shops was looted, and the number of rapes was the monthly norm.

Fourth, fear promotes better memorization of dangerous or unpleasant events. Fear activates the work of memory and makes its traces especially durable. So, our ancestors remembered the places where they were attacked by wild animals or people from a hostile tribe. Another example: a child who was burned once by an open fire remembers this for a long time.

Fifth important, the meaning of fear - the ability to act in conditions of lack of information when it is not enough to make a well-thought-out decision. Then the strategy of behavior is dictated by fear. If the brain does not know what to do in a critical situation, and the mind does not have a balanced and logic-tested recipe, then the body prefers to rely on the centuries-old experience of instincts and emotions. According to Academician P.V. Simonov, the creator of the information theory of emotions, fear arises when there is a lack of information necessary for protection. It is in this case that it becomes expedient to respond to an extended range of signals, the usefulness of which is not yet known. Perhaps, at first glance, such a response is redundant and uneconomical, but it prevents the omission of a really important signal, ignoring which could cost life.

Another, sixth, positive role of fear is aggravation of all human senses under its influence that allows you to see or even anticipate the smallest signs of danger. Here is what A. Kempinski wrote about this in his book "The Psychopathology of Neuroses": "Sometimes in some people one can observe the ability to predict an impending danger: there is nothing in the picture of reality to indicate it, but, nevertheless, anxiety appears, which accompanies in a dream or in reality a picture of an approaching misfortune. These phenomena belong to parapsychology. Until now, it is not known to what extent a person can go forward in the four-dimensional space that surrounds him, that is, to see his future. In addition, subthreshold stimuli that do not penetrate into consciousness, can signal a threatening danger. Judging by the behavior of animals, one can repeatedly predict impending earthquakes, eclipses of the sun, severe winters, and, therefore, threatening situations. "

Another, seventh, positive meaning of fear is that through overcoming it, human improvement can occur. As Fritz Riemann wrote, “if we understand our agonizing fear also as an indication of the need to search for mistakes in our own behavior or as a fear of new demands in life, as a result of which we do not dare to take a new step in our development, we must accept and understand it as an invitation to enter a new stage of our development, as a call for new freedom and, at the same time, for a new order and new responsibility. In this sense, we must view fear in its positive, creative aspect, as an initiator of change. "

So, dear readers, if you intend to completely get rid of your fears, think - maybe you will leave yourself a small amount of this faithful watchman who protects your life, health and property? After all, we will not kill an out of place barking dog, which is only to blame for the fact that it too zealously guards the master's property?