Discover The Three Favorite Disguises Of Fear
It’s hard to recognize that we’re afraid. It seems that feeling how our body shudders when we have to face something frightening is a sign of weakness, but nothing further from reality. Being afraid is one of the most natural aspects of being human and also one of the most beneficial when it comes to survival. If we didn’t experience this unpleasant but useful emotion, we probably wouldn’t be here today. It is precisely the emotion that drives us to be brave.
Few people are empathetic to those who are afraid, when in fact we are all afraid of something, but we prefer to hide because we don’t want to be judged negatively. We don’t want to appear weaker or less valuable than others, and that’s when we mask the fear and try to solve the problem with just the decision to avoid facing the situations it exposes us to.
The result is that this fantasy we wear does nothing but strengthen this emotion, and makes it more difficult for us to be able to overcome circumstances that do not allow us to move forward. If you want to know how we camouflage fear, be sure to read it.
Laziness disguises the fear of “I don’t feel like it”
When we are afraid of facing a situation, sometimes we choose laziness as an attitude that frees us from the effort that supposes having to expose ourselves to what makes us so afraid.
Sometimes it seems that laziness is a remedy that allows us to postpone what we really want. The “I don’t feel like it” or the “I’ll do it tomorrow” is just part of the makeup that fear uses to avoid having to go through the possible, but unlikely, consequences that could happen.
Boredom camouflages fear with an “I’m bored”
Another very common way fear uses to camouflage itself and not be easily discovered is boredom. If we have to face a problem that we see as very dangerous, even if it really isn’t, it ‘s much easier and easier to say that we’re bored with it than to actually take a step and risk overcoming it.
If, for example, I’m afraid to talk about a subject I know because deep down what I fear most is being criticized by the audience, it will be easier for me to say that giving a presentation is a job that bores me too much (although deep down I am know it could be something I could fall in love with). That way I won’t be as negatively judged or pressured as saying that having to speak in public makes me anxious. Sadly, the first admits itself more than the second.
The lie characterizes fear with a “no one will notice”
Lying is the luxury of fear, and lying is dodging the consequences for having made a mistake or showing a face that gives us greater acceptance by others. While it is true that lying is not as accepted as other disguises, it is also an escape route that feeds fear.
Hiding something that scares us and lying about it or making excuses helps in the short term so that our anxiety does not show up and we feel more relaxed. The problem is that, as in the previous cases, in the long run, situations are not overcome correctly.
If you sometimes cover up your fears with one of these three disguises, you may think that the only thing you can do is block yourself in the moment you are, and you won’t be able to confront what you fear. The most sensible thing, even if it is difficult, is to normalize the act of feeling fear at times, to give ourselves the right to try it and, above all, not to cover it up with lazy attitudes, boredom or lies. Do you dare to face your fear?
