🌴 TREE 118: The only thing to fear is that pack of ginormous salivating wolves surrounding the tree you’ve just climbed

Fear is super useful. Fear gives the ability to take immediate action against a specific threat. It’s one of the most important characteristics of successful species. Fear is a superpower for staying alive.

Fear is also an idiot. It works closely with your what-if ability. It turns on to undefinable nothings for which there are no definite actions. In doing so, it paralyses you.

Here’s my super short guide to

What To Do With Fear:

Fear of an actual pack of hungry wolves who are at this moment hunting you for lunch: Use that adrenaline! Take action! Stay alive!

Fear of an imagined pack of wolves that may have abandoned their home in the forest to pick off the slow shoppers at Tesco: Laugh at your crazy imagination and go buy the damn dinner.

Fear of, you-know, just that kind of wolfy fog that envelops you and – I don’t know – it’s just scary: Do breathing. Ground yourself in factual reality. Live your life. If you can’t get out of the fog, get help from a professional.

Even shorter version: If fear is alerting you to a real, specific threat, pay attention. If not, use your other senses to figure out what’s actually going on.

I’m writing about anxiety and fear this week.

Important notice: Everyone’s mental (un)health experience is unique. Just because a thing worked for me, doesn’t mean I’m prescribing it for you. Nothing I write should be taken as medical advice.

Nevertheless, I hope some of what I share will be useful.

Grow slowly.
Jeff

I thought maybe Ian or Lily but this is the perfect song for easing happily into Wednesday.

The Memory of TREE playlist – every song from every email: