Let’s Talk About Fear
Fear just means you have something to learn.
What are you afraid of? Such a broad question with so many possible answers. Everyone is afraid of something different. Kids are afraid of the dark, and monsters and strange noises. Adults are afraid of failure, and success and everything in between. I had a period of time after Scott and I started dating that I became fearful of airplane turbulence. Like really fearful. The sweaty, nauseous, I think I’m having a heart attack, I want to crawl out of my skin and I apologize for the death grip around your fingers fearful. This was ludicrous to my rational brain because my dad is a pilot and I have been flying since before I could walk. One of my favorite things in the world is to travel…on planes. Scott and I had a long distance relationship for 3 years that required cross country flights every 3-4 weeks. I have no reason to fear turbulence but something out of the blue had my convinced that every plane I got on that hit a few bumps was going to crash immediately to the ground. It was even worse when I was not in a window seat and couldn’t see the ground. Something about seeing the patchwork quilt of fields or rows of homes gave me a mustard seed of comfort even when my heart was pounding wildly in my chest and I had a white knuckle grip on the arm rest. I am strapped to that seat from the time I sit down so there’s no real danger to me of unexpected turbulence throwing me against the roof of the cabin, which is the biggest danger when you do hit some rough air. I had no idea where the new anxiousness was coming from but I was not fond of it. I decided this would not serve me in my future so I needed to get a handle on it before it really got away from me. I googled turbulence and here’s what I found. The definition is
tur·bu·lence
/ˈtərbyələns/
noun
noun: turbulence
violent or unsteady movement of air or water, or of some other fluid.
Yep that sounds about right. Thanks to google there are some follow up questions that come right below that Webster's definition.
How dangerous is turbulence?
Is turbulence good or bad?
Why is turbulence dangerous?
Are pilots afraid of turbulence?
The short answers are it’s not, neither, risk of losing balance and getting injured and no. My favorite question answered by the CMHA.BC.com website shared this…”The most important thing to know is that turbulence isn't dangerous. It might be a bit uncomfortable, but your plane is built to handle the worst. Even in the most severe turbulence, your plane isn't moving nearly as much as you think! Much of how we experience turbulence is subjective.” Isn’t that a little bit like life? So much of it is subjective and sometimes we make it out to be far more stressful than it actually is. So much time wasted on worry and things that likely will never come to pass. And trust me when I say WE ARE BUILT TO HANDLE THE WORST as well. I finally stumbled onto a blog called askthepilot.com that answered every question I could have about this new nemesis I was facing with some very entertaining commentary thrown in for fun. It was a fantastic read and helped me understand what was actually happening, which nipped my anxiety right in the bud. It was amazing what a little knowledge could do to take down my fear. I’ve taken that little nugget of perspective into the rest of my life. Fear just means I have something to learn. When I’ve been fearful of money, I’ve taken the steps to learn more about finance, investing, and money management. When I’ve been fearful of getting older and possible health issues, I’ve taken the steps to learn about healthy aging and ways to keep my brain and body in tip top shape. I really do believe it can apply to any area in your life. You just have to be brave enough to name your fear and then go get curious about it. What are you afraid of? I bet Google has some info at the tips of your fingers to kick that fear right to the curb.
