Primal Primer 7 (Mentality)
The human fear response is the result of millions of years of evolution, designed to enhance survival in threatening situations. This response involves a complex interplay of the brain, nervous system, and body, orchestrating a series of physiological and psychological changes. Broadly speaking, flight or fight instincts rapidly prepare the body for action in response to dangers both real and imagined.
Fight & Flight Interface
- Endocrine Accelerant – Adrenaline floods the blood stream, increasing blood pressure and respiration.
- Energy Redistribution – Blood from non-essential processes (I.E. digestion) to muscles and vital organs for physical exertion.
- Sharpened Senses – Pupils dilate to improve vision, as senses become more acute for better detection of environmental cues.
Anticipatory fears also stimulate these effects; software that values safety and overreaction opposed to economy and late preparation. Paired with an advanced cortex, humans are able to model contingencies even in the absence of threat, colloquially known as worrying. Creating disposable avatars of self, we sacrifice innumerable versions of us, imagining dangerous situations (social & physical) gaining data and developing strategy. Unfortunately, the biology behind this adaptation is at odds with the new world we now live in.
Although not impossible to reprogram and better attenuate these deep brain systems, most practically we can seek to understand antecedent triggers of response; using these mechanisms to orient and fuel growth for positive outcome
Weaponize Your Fears
Behind every fear is the person you desire to be. Hope is not a strategy, so don’t hope you can avoid fear and scary circumstance. It’s likely you will generate fears and worries that are not objectively rational. Identify these fears and intentionally wander into these often deep and dark fear forests. Train the art of becoming comfortable with that which is inherently and reasonably (sometimes unreasonably) uncomfortable. Fear seeking on your terms places these articles into the light for disinfecting; the world is always less scary at dawn.
~Cave Implementation~
Understand your fears. Take inventory and assess impact. Are fears and avoidance strategies keeping you from the action and result you seek? List solutions in terms of exposure plans, outlining how one can more skillfully approach and prepare resolution. Sometimes action without premeditation is helpful too; unabashedly volunteer yourself for exposure without thought. As always, create a strategy that works for you.
Energy Is Not Created Nor Destroyed, It Is Transferred. Learn To Hone And Focus The Energy From Fear Into Discovery And Mastery.
