Fear

Fear. We all know what it feels like, unless we're in denial we've all had instances of fear. It paralyzes us to be productive and comes in so many forms. Fear of: failure, snakes or other critters, not being loved, darkness, heights, you name it we can succumb to fear of all sorts and we are suddenly be immobilized or we avoid or run from the problem. Fear is a type of stress which causes all kinds of ailments and other problems especially with relationships. We need to get a handle on our fears, not sweep them under the carpet and deny them, but examine why we're afraid and conquer them by going into situations (within reason) that we're afraid of and confronting those fears, taking charge of our emotions.

Lately, with the new administration we've been told repeatedly that we are in "crisis" as a nation and even the entire planet is in danger-ie. global warming, and the new swine flu supposed immenent epidemic, and the one that everyone has been biting their nails over, The economic "Crisis", just to name a few. It seems that this administration wants us to be off-balance. Why? I think it's because they want us to believe they can come in and save the day at any moment. Take the Air Force One's secret low flight over NY harbor near the Statue of Liberty just this week. This stupid move rightly scared many people out of buildings etc, thinking it was another attack on our nation. If there were just one incident, or even just a couple like this I might dismiss it, but this is too much evidence for me to ignore. We need to be careful that we aren't letting fear rule our actions. Having said that there are some reasonable fears, or at least precautions that we can take in certain situations. Avoiding touching hot stoves, using fire safety, using the buddy system when out at night or at any time of day when stangers are around us. This isn't really letting fear control us, but taking some control back so we can at least try to be safe. These safety precautions can actually set us at ease when we know we are doing what we can to avoid being a victim. It's vital to teach our children to take safety measures in all kinds of situations as well, but we need to help them process their fears while we're at it.

Some things are out of our control, but we can control lots of areas of our lives and when we do we make fear less of a menace. Former President Kennedy was so right when he said, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." The best selling book of all time, the Bible, says "Fear not" msny, many times. Jesus Himself said "Fear not for I am with you." This reassurance helps me stay calm and assuage my fears as new developements crop up.

You may ask why I'm talking about fear on a fitness blog, but fear effects our health drastically, heart palpitations, ansomnia, high blood pressure, even cancer have been linked to stress, the list is endless.

There are many different ways to combat stress and fear. I've already mentioned safety precautions, but a greatest and only real way to relieve stress is to pray. Along with that we can do stretching exercises, or yoga, although I would caution you not to include the spiritual part of it, since it's not safe to open your mind to just anything. You have to be vigilant to "have the mind of Christ" and not open yourself up to the evil side of the spirit-realm. I have more to say about this in future blogs. The best way to guard our hearts against fear is to renew our minds and only put things in that bring courage. As the Word says, What ever is good, whatever is right...think on these things. Reading the Bible, watching or listening to inspirational speakers, or viewing movies that have positive messages and biblical themes helps as well. I also believe laughter heals too. We need to know that although prophesies of great danger and dispare are coming to pass before our eyes, these things remind us that only God knows the end from the beginning. He is our comforter and friend through every hardship we face. This goes for the nation as well. He will not leave us or forsake us IF we set our heart on Him, so "Fear not, for I am with you until the end of the age."

P.S Since this was a brain-dump of sorts, I'll give the references I sited at a later time, hopefully tomorrow.

Cathy