Fear

In one of the groups that I facilitate, we talked about fear.  We approached it similarly as we would anxiety since anxiety is a component of fear. Merriam-Webster.com says that fear in "the most general term and implies anxiety and usually loss of courage". Ok, I understand that, fear of the unknown, dread.  

Psychologytoday.com says, when I google 'fear', is "..fear is a vital response to physical and emotional danger; it has strong roots in human evolution. If people didn’t feel fear, they couldn’t protect themselves from legitimate threats, which in the ancestral world frequently resulted in life-or-death consequences. In the modern world, individuals often fear situations where the stakes are much lower, but their body and brain still treat the threat as lethal". Ok, this makes even more sense to me, as in relation to fight or flight responses. Protecting ourselves in both definitions.

I asked the group that I was facilitating their idea of fear and if it was rational. Just to let you in, the group is a group of people with memory issues. We are trying to have them understand their feelings and deal with them appropriately. We had a variety of answers, all good. Safety was a big one. Being in a safe environment, being safe when walking; unsteady pavement, ice. They were also concerned because of what they see on the tv and their safety. These are legitimate concerns. So when we ask if it is a rational thought we can say yes. To a degree. Depending on our situation, location, who we are with, can make a big difference.

Approaching our thoughts of fear could be approached the same as we do with anxiety. Try asking some of these questions before your fear gets out of hand.

Is this rational? 
Is there evidence to support this fear? 
Is this thought helpful or just causing me stress? 
Am I worrying about something I cannot control?