With truth becoming relative and justice and liberty apparently on the decline, many of us feel scared. We buffer ourselves in one-way or another, attempting to feel a little better.
Some of us leap into action, some of us freeze, and some of us take the ostrich approach (head in the sand, avoiding what we might see if we looked) — all in service of mitigating our fear.
What gets tricky is when your way of feeling less scared makes me fee
l more scared, and my way of feeling less scared scares you even more. For instance: One pe
rson blusters and intimidates to feel safe, another avoids responsibility.
No matter which way either of us moves, one of us gets more scared. The harder I resist your blustering, the harder you resist my avoidance. We both end up more afraid and very, very exhausted.
Inquiry:
How do you buffer yourself when you feel scared? What do you do to mitigate any fear you feel?
When you do what you do, what is the impact on those around you?
This is part 1 of a 4 part blog post. Click here to view part 2
Martha Hamilton is a coach and facilitator, and the author of Going Reptile: How Engaging Your Inner Lizard Leads to More Fulfilling Work and Personal Relationships, and can be reached at www.living-fully-human.com and [email protected].
