Fear is one of the usual human emotions, triggered by a real or perceived threat. It is a biological response mechanism that prepares the body for fight or flight in the presence of danger. In its concrete form, fear is more than a mere mental state and instead, a powerful emotion that affects the body’s physiology as well as the body’s chemical balance. While fear has some positive effects, it can have serious negative impacts in one’s life. Here is the insight:
Fear elicits stress
Stress is one of the consequences of fear. There is a lot that will change in your life the moment you accumulate stress to extreme levels. For instance, the immune system will be weakened and as a result, one is likely to suffer psychosomatic illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular infections. Extreme stress will also impair judgment and accurate perception of reality.
Besides stress, fear itself is capable of weakening the immune system, a result of which is a series of infections such as ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome and decreased fertility.
Strained relationships
Fear causes a lot of paranoia and is likely to strain all personal relationships. In a state of fear, it is barely possible to trust the people around us despite their good intentions. Relations at the workplace will also be affected negatively. This will lead to reduced productivity at the workplace and a very small social circle. A person living in fear is less likely to start and sustain meaningful relationships.
Low achievement levels
Almost all opportunities in life involve risks. Choosing to join college will see you passing or failing in exams. Investing in a certain business will either earn you profits or losses. In a state of fear, a person is never willing to take these risks and without risking, it is barely possible to achieve full actualization potentials.
Stifled thinking
Fear has always been associated with a state of indecisiveness and distorted thinking patterns. A mind marred by fear will not think clearly and form accurate perceptions of reality but will rather base all thoughts and actions around the perceived or real threat and events that are likely to come along. Fear is a leeway to erosion of confidence, without which you cannot even believe in your ability to think in abstract terms.
Destructive habits
Fear is one of the reasons why people do not lead a healthy lifestyle. To numb the pain that is associated with fear, individuals will resolve to destructive habits such as careless driving, drinking excessively and abusing various drugs. These are all destructive habits that will derail one’s health and put a person at risk.
Conclusively, some amount of fear is constructive in the manner that it protects people from real and perceived dangers but when it becomes a default mode, fear has more consequences than positive influences.
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