[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hey there. You probably already knew that fear can make your heart race, but did you know that it can also make your thoughts race?
Stick around for the second leg of the marathon on fear and its effects, not just on the physical, but on the mental health aspects as well. And I'll tell you why this matters. Believe me when I say it does. Cue the intro.
[00:00:29] Speaker B: From the natural state. This is public facing the podcast with joe holman.
[00:00:39] Speaker A: Thanks for joining us today.
Fear can be very taxing on the body, like making your heart race, but it can also tax the mind, making your thoughts race. And this matters because in some ways that gives us an edge as to how we can win the race.
When fear starts controlling what we think, what we avoid, or what we believe we can handle, it can shrink our world without us even realizing it. Welcome to Public Facing the Podcast. I'm Joe Holman.
Last episode we talked about what fear can do to the body and it was a lot. I know today we're going to go up onto the big brain, no climbing required, and just know that fear and anxiety are normal human experiences. We all worry, sure. And we all get nervous.
We all have moments where our when our imagination decides to produce a Michael Bay sized disaster movie with an extremely large budget starring figment, as in the figment of our imagination.
And you really dig through this one, there's going to be a whole lot of Disney wrapped up in here. No infringement intended.
Feel free to share your feedback with us via email at helloblicfacingpod Stream note. I may share it on an upcoming episode.
Now, this message stemmed absolutely without any request from the audience. This is just me giving more value.
But back to the point at hand though.
There's a difference between normal fear and fear that begins interfering with everyday life.
So as we progress today, we're looking at three things.
The thought loop, avoidance, and when it's time to ask for help.
And the main takeaway is simple.
We don't have to be fearless. To live a healthy life, you need good, positive tools, a support system, and enough personal awareness to recognize when fear is running the show.
So let's get into this now. On the thought loop, let's talk about worry.
Yes, worry is fascinating because one thought can easily become 20 thoughts and before you've even finished brushing your teeth.
Did I send that email? Did they misunderstand the email?
Did they secretly hate me?
Should I move to another country?
Do they have good wi fi there, my friend and favorite listener? Listen, occasional worry is normal.
The concern really comes though, when worry becomes Persistent when things become too difficult to control and is disruptive to living life.
The National Institute on Mental of Mental Health. They note that generalized anxiety disorder involves excessive anxiety and worry that can interfere with everyday life.
And symptoms can include restlessness, difficulty concentrating, fatigue and trouble sleeping.
Now, notice something here.
Fear isn't necessarily loud.
Sometimes it looks like exhaustion.
Sometimes it's overthinking.
Sometimes it's constantly preparing for something bad to happen.
And then there are those sometimes where it's being unable to enjoy a good moment in our lives because we're already worrying about what might go wrong tomorrow.
That's a trap. And it is. It's a total trap.
Fear often tries to falsely convince us that constant thinking equals constant protection.
But thinking about a problem for six hours doesn't necessarily solve it, does it now? No.
So sometimes it just gives the problem six hours of free office space in our head.
And it cost you a lot. No win there.
Now it pays to notice when useful planning turns itself into repetitive worry.
And that worry can cost us more than we may initially think.
Now that we've covered the thought loop, I want us to look at another powerful factor.
Avoidance.
This is where we have a hand in making our world get smaller.
What do I mean? Well, avoidance feels good in the moment. Okay? It something scares you and you don't do it, instant relief. Problem solved. Right?
Wait a minute. Let's take another peek here. Because, my friend, sometimes the brain learns the wrong lesson.
It learns. Wow. Avoiding. That worked. Let's do that again.
And that, my friend, is a slippery slope.
It's not a positive or a winning approach to getting past that thing that's causing the anxiety because it builds a bad habit of avoiding even the things that are really good for us.
The National Institute of Mental Health. They note that anxiety can become particularly disruptive when it leads people to avoid activities or situations.
And phobia treatment often includes carefully addressing avoided fears through evidence based therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy.
Now that doesn't mean someone should simply throw themselves into whatever scares them.
Now, please don't interpret this episode as well. Joe said I should conquer my fear by immediately doing the scariest thing imaginable.
I absolutely did not say that.
This is not my advice.
I hope that's clear. Okay. This is not me practicing psychiatric advice. I am not a licensed counselor either. I'm neither of those. But here's my two cents.
Consider consulting a healthcare or mental health professional for actual advice or therapy. Okay. Good, healthy treatment is threefold.
It should be structured, supportive, and Individualized. No cookie cutter fixes here.
See, the important idea here is that avoidance can sometimes reinforce fear.
And you avoid the meeting, well, then the next meeting feels even bigger.
You avoid driving, well, then getting back behind the wheel feels even harder.
Well, when you stop socializing, well, then reconnecting, that can feel very intimidating.
So little by little, quite a bit of this at our own hand, our world can become smaller.
Personal note.
During the pandemic, when so many were pushed to stay inside, I found myself transforming from a person who used to go and do and see and help so many people to then become this new person that's shunning almost all physical interaction in society.
I got to a point that I almost never left the house.
I'd willingly drive others around, but I would not get out or go inside shops and things.
So now, six years later, I'm reintegrating myself into physical public socialization and back into a semblance of my old routine.
So now I'm looking forward to joining in on public trivia night gatherings, or perhaps even a karaoke show or two, which I used to love at one time in my life.
Maybe there's something still there. But who knew that there were so many opportunities out there?
Well, maybe you did.
That's why compassion matters. You see, someone avoiding something isn't necessarily lazy.
They may just be trying very hard to feel safe.
And that's an important distinction.
But there's another side to this.
When fear needs backup. What do I mean? Okay, let's talk about getting help.
Let's.
It's because this is not an episode about telling people to just relax.
Nor is this message here to say, just get over it.
That approach helps no one.
Which is possibly also the least relaxing sentence in the English language. Just relax. Are you instantly relaxed? Oh, no, not really. Yeah, no, me neither.
You see, real support is different.
The National Institute of Mental Health recommends seeking professional help when anxiety or other symptoms become difficult to manage or interfere with everyday activities.
Evidence based treatments. Those can include things like psychotherapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy, and in some situations, even medication.
But here's something reassuring, my friend.
Getting help doesn't mean something is fundamentally wrong with you.
It means that you've noticed a problem and you're willing to work on it. And that, my friend and favorite listener, is strength.
Absolutely without question.
You see, there are also everyday habits that can support mental health.
Things like consistent sleep, physical activity, staying connected with people you trust, mindfulness or breathing exercises, and challenging, unhelpful thought patterns.
None of those are magic buttons.
They're actual work, an active, ongoing effort.
Sadly, there are no delete anxiety buttons. I checked several times.
But small actions, they matter.
One conversation, one walk, one good night's sleep, one appointment, one honest sentence saying, hey, I'm struggling and I could use some help.
Because that's not weakness, my friend. And that's not nothing.
That is useful information.
And that information gives us options.
And if you know me at all, I'm a huge fan of options. It's how I cope.
In our next episode and final part in this series to the Factors of Fear, we're taking the final step in the series discussing what we can actually do about fear.
Not eliminate it.
Not pretend it doesn't exist, but learn how to respond in healthy ways, positively and responsibly.
And that, my friend and favorite listener, has brought us here to the final word.
Fear can create repetitive worry.
Avoidance can sometimes reinforce that fear.
And when fear interferes with our daily life, professional support can make a real difference.
But ultimately, you don't have to eliminate fear entirely. To move forward, you need good support, healthy tools, and the willingness to take the next manageable step.
A single one, not the next 100 steps.
1.
And that's today's final word.
If today's episode has given you a new way to think about fear, please, please share it with someone you care about. Follow Public Facing the podcast on X formerly
[email protected] PublicFacingPod and stay connected by email at helloublicfacingpod stream. Visit our site at PublicFacingPod stream for all of our episodes.
Next time on Public Facing, we're going to be wrapping up the Factors of Fear series with some practical strategies for prevention, coping and building a healthier relationship with fear. You don't want to miss it. Join us. Bring a friend and spread the word so others can benefit from this three part series. You'll be glad you did.
Until then, my dear friend and favorite listener, stay informed, stay encouraged, and stay Public Facing.
For Public Facing, I'm Joe Holman. Come see us again real soon.
[00:15:38] Speaker B: Thanks for listening to Public Facing the podcast with Joe Holman. Visit us online at PublicFacingPod stream and on
[email protected] PublicFacingPod.
