I HATE FEAR!!!!!!!!!!
IT CAN JUST IMMOBILIZE PEOPLE.
IT IS JUST THAT MUCH WORSE FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS/CHRONIC PAIN.
After 9/11 fear persisted. I remember being afraid to park my car in front of certain places, for fear there might be an explosion. Rumors were running amok that the terrorists would be blowing up gas stations. I remember feeling such intense depression.
Did you? Finally had to turn off the news, and try to think of some hopeful thoughts and appreciate blessings more. I am not saying it was easy. Our hearts were broken, and I felt such intense anger/rage.
Gerd Gigerenzer, a psychologist at Max Planck Institute in Berlin gathered data on how Americans travelled for 5 years after 9/11. Not surprising, the increase in driving the year after the terrorist attacks, car fatalities soared. He discovered that 1,595 Americans died as a result of the switch from planes to cars after the attacks.
The tragic loss of life was a natural yet not entirely logical response to the 9/11 tragedy. Irony might not be the right word, but it is something to realize that 3,000 people died on September 11, 2001, and more than half that number died the year following as a consequence of irrational fear.
For others, including myself, choosing constant fear creates such a detriment to one's life. It can simply take all of the joy out of life!!!
And when I read the words rational and logical, I have to laugh to myself! Of course we know that if we have a great amount of fear, we are most likely acting rational or logical. I'm being sarcastic!
But we have to also realize that when faced with chronic pain/illness with no hope in sight, it is only logical that we would have FEAR!!!!!
I remember when I first got sick with horrible pain day in and day out that I was thinking, "this is the way that the rest of my life will be." This constant thinking resulted in myself digging a hole so deep in depression that it took at least a year for me to see sunlight!!! But I did eventually. What about you?!
Too much fear that paralyses action is the bad thing obviously. It makes one imagine all sorts of outcomes and scenarios. That can be called catastrophising.
One way that can help with fears is to ask yourself, these questions.
What is the worst thing that can happen?
"I will always feel this horrible.
What is the worst thing that can happen?
I will never leave the house.
What is the worst thing that can happen?
I will curl up and die in this house.
What are the chances that will happen?
hmmmm
What about new medications and medical discoveries? What if you found a better doctor?
That may help.
What about setting healthier boundaries for yourself, standing up for yourself when facing negative people, for instance?
That would help. How would I do that?
How about counseling?
Would that help you be able to get out more?
Maybe.....
Do you think this type of dialogue could help alleviate some of your fear?
Probably
What about other people/friends that suffer from the same medical issues? Groups?
Would that help?
Yes.
This may seem silly, but it can be the beginning of an individual digging themselves out of the proverbial dark hole of hopelessness.
And of course it is so relevant that when we reach out to others to help them, we also reap the rewards, and help ourselves!
From Me to U!
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