Fear: an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat.
The month of October is commonly associated with scary things and fear because of the October 31st holiday of Halloween. Yet, originally, Halloween comes from the term All Hallows’ Eve which is a celebration of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. Similar to Día de Los Muertos, All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days celebrated the souls of those who died. They were believed to return to visit their homes on these days or believe to journey to the otherworld. Celebrations included feasts and bonfires, masks, and costumes. Halloween has evolved since those days and includes a specific emphasis on scary things and focuses our minds on the dark and fearful. There are benefits to fear. It may seem crazy, but the truth is that fear is a necessary survival tool.
Benefits of Fear:
Fear keeps you safe. Fear is an internal alarm system. It lets you know when you are being unsafe or think you are unsafe and prompts you to action.
Fear temporarily boosts your immune system. In a 2009 study, participants’ blood was tested before and after a horror movie. The results showed that physiological fear caused an elevation in white blood cells- which strengthens your immune system.
Fear gives you a natural high and sense of empowerment. When you feel fear, your body releases adrenaline, dopamine, endorphins, oxytocin, and serotonin. This increases your energy and focuses your brain. When you come through a challenge or an obstacle, you feel empowered because you overcame that challenge.
Fear helps you manage stress and relaxes you. Stress is fear-based. You worry about unknown consequences or unpredictable events. When under stress, your body and brain are filled with adrenaline and dopamine. This rush of energy can focus you to accomplish things or make choices. Once this happens, you are able to relax and take a breath.
The key to having the benefit of fear without the drawbacks is to remember that we must embrace our fears in small doses. As with anything in life, too much fear can cripple a person, cause doubt and frustration so that all of the potential learning and accomplishment disappears and we are thrown into crisis mode. Small doses of fear help us overcome, grow, learn. This doesn’t mean that you must tackle everything you fear at once nor does it mean all situations that fear appears can be beneficial. Life-threatening situations cause fear which will hopefully keep us safe, but it can also paralyze us. The important thing to remember is that everyone feels fear in their lives and more often than not, it will help us become better.
Something to Fright, Something to Fathom, and Something to Repulse
This blog's book talk centers around the ghoulish, ghostly, and monstrous. This slideshow has some recommendations of mysteries, tales, horror, and just good stories. It also includes some collections that have many more titles available in our catalog. Click on the picture and check out some scary stories. (Hint the QR codes in the presentation take you to the link in the catalog so you are able to put it on hold for checkout. Make sure you are logged in to make it go smoothly.)
Impossible or Possible? It's all in Your Mindset
As we close out the Everything is Possible mindset, and Halloween is approaching, it’s important to reflect on fear. The greatest obstacle to taking action on something is fear of failure, but the most successful people in the world don’t see failure, only feedback. Simply learn from mistakes and move forward, because this is the only way to make our dreams into reality. Act on them, and be prepared to adjust.
A brick wall stood in the middle of a New York City park accompanied by a sign encouraging passersby to try kicking through it. Watch what happened.
Could You Kick Through this Wall?
After watching the video, talk to your family members and discuss these questions:
How did the brick wall make you feel at first?
When have you felt like you can't do something? Explain.
When is a time that you have had to face your fears and persevere through them?
