#2 - Living In Fear
Ashley Bishop Says...
Our eldest son is ill and I have been up with him throughout the last few nights.
One night I had to stay up and I watched 'After Earth' which stared Will Smith and his son.
To be honest I though the film was rubbish but the story/concept was interesting as it was based around killer aliens that tracked you by the scent you give if when you are living in fear.
Out of the entire film this 90 seconds was the best bit and actually a brilliant way in my mind to describe fear.
Dax Moy
I thought it was a pretty rubbish movie too.. but took notes on this exact same point
And my notes said…
Fear is VERY real… but anxiety is a story
We suffer because we’re anxious. In fact, when you boil it down, suffering IS anxiety… a projected fear about a future that doesn’t yet exist but that we CHOOSE to experience fear-like reactions to in our present
FEAR (based on my observations, research and experience) is VERY real, but anxiety… whoa!
Ashley Bishop
Because we associate feeling to fear?
Dax Moy
Fear is an immediate reaction to stimulus, anxiety is the fear reaction to the IMAGINED stimuls
Ashley Bishop
Dax, I’m trying to get my head round this still! Can you explain it in a ‘for dummies’ way?
Dax Moy
Fear is designed as a reaction to things in the environments that REQUIRE immediate and non-cognitive action.
In other. Words, fear is GOOD because its job is to create instantaneous protection against something that could harm us.
Ashley Bishop
So we have a brain wiring issue?
Dax Moy
More that we have a misuse of creativity. That’s what anxiety is. Use of our own imagination to create future negative predictions.
Ashley Bishop
Presumably that’s the reptilian or mamalisn brain at play? So to reduce fear or anxiety it’s getting into the human brain and understand what is really going on and creating the alternatives
Dax Moy
Anxiety is a cognitive process that has us carrying out ‘negative rehearsals’ of a non existent future and acting as if they are already here and already causing us harm
It hasn’t happened yet but we act as if it’s real AND we Project that reality and it’s impact to be negative.
Ashley Bishop
Thank you Dax, safe trekking xx