FEAR AND HEALING

*FEAR*😨

Fear is a powerful emotion that can affect us in many ways, both emotionally and physically. It is a natural response to perceived danger or threat, and it can be a useful tool for survival. However, when fear becomes excessive or irrational, it can have a negative impact on our mental and physical health.💔

Emotional Effects of Fear:

Fear can cause a wide range of emotional responses, including anxiety, panic, and helplessness. It can also lead to feelings of sadness, anger, and frustration. People who experience fear may become withdrawn and avoid social situations, which can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness.💔

Psychological Effects of Fear:

Fear can have a significant impact on our psychological well-being. When we are afraid, our brains release stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which can cause physical symptoms like increased heart rate, sweating, and rapid breathing. These symptoms can make it difficult to concentrate, think clearly, or make rational decisions.💔

Chronic fear can also lead to the development of anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and phobias. These conditions can significantly impact our daily lives and make it challenging to perform even simple tasks.💔

Social Effects of Fear:

Fear can also have a significant impact on our social lives. It can cause us to avoid people or situations that we perceive as threatening, which can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness. This avoidance behavior can also make it challenging to form and maintain meaningful relationships.💔

Fear can also lead to prejudice and discrimination. When we are afraid of something or someone, we may be more likely to stereotype or judge them based on their appearance, race, or religion. This can lead to tension and conflict in our communities and can make it challenging to build trust and understanding between different groups of people.

In conclusion, fear can have a significant impact on our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. While it is a natural response to perceived danger, excessive or irrational fear can be harmful. It is essential to recognize and address our fears to maintain a healthy and fulfilling life.

Healing*

I would really wish to start off this letter on a high note 🎵 but I really don't have the capacity to. A series of events have happened that made me realize that even though I've come a long way, there's still so much healing and pruning to be done.

There comes a time when you feel satisfied with your life and how well you're progressing and flourishing but it doesn't take time before you're swept off balance by an innocent post of someone's experience or achievement. I mean you were absolutely fine before but now you're not!

If you know me, you know I love the *"I Said What I Said"* podcast by Jola Ayeye and Feyikemi Abudu, those ladies are my favorite millennials. Jola provided an answer to a question someone asked at their just concluded live show in London about feeling inadequate compared to others. While I feel we all know that we should rise above that feeling, she gave me light on how to handle the topic and what really causes that feeling.

As humans we are insatiable but there's this beautiful thing about us that is our "out of sight, out of mind" trait. But once certain things get into our scope of view, it could potentially make you feel inadequate in your own life. The narrative of defining what success means to you is quite important because if you don't clearly know if you're successful on your own terms, someone's definition of success becomes your yardstick for measuring your own life.

You start feeling inadequate according to someone else's timeline which shouldn't be! Take for instance you see someone getting an international recognition for a literary piece, you might not be a writer or even if you are, getting an international recognition isn't one of the things you'll like to accomplish but seeing someone else doing it makes you start doubting if you're a good enough writer and thinking about how you're not working hard enough to get a recognition that meant nothing to you until that person got it.

*Sometimes when you see someone achieve something, it creates a desire for something that was never your goal in the first place*. Lately I've been questioning my reaction to situations, yes I might have impulsive reactions but I'm more conscious of asking myself "why did I react like that?", "Why do i feel this way?". This has helped me better understand what causes my reactions to certain situations and how I can be more logical next time. I feel this can also be helpful in understanding why you now have a new urge to try out that field of practice or do that totally unrelated thing.

You should learn to know and understand who you are, your peculiarities, love your wins, mistakes, lessons, love how you learn from those mistakes and the rate at which you learn them. There's enough space for us to all grow and flourish together, you just have to embrace YOU!