Overcoming Your Fears in Difficult Times
Everyone is very fearful and anxious today, because of the way a single unseen virus has transformed everyday interactions around the world. So the big question now is whether we can reduce the danger by hunkering down and avoiding social contact, which has been the lifeblood of society.
In response to all of this fear and anxiety, I began putting together a book of quotes by well-known people about how to understand and deal with these feelings. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be featuring quotes from the book: Over 100 Ways to Understand and Deal with Your Fear and Anxiety, which is on Amazon and will soon be an audiobook.
As these quotes illustrate, much fear and anxiety is due to the uncertainty of not knowing what will happen. So we fear the unknown and our ability to overcome this new threat to our lives. Or we feel anxiety, a type of fear characterized by worry, nervousness, and unease, typically about an upcoming event or something with an uncertain outcome.
Often, fear is a very protective emotion, since it alerts us to danger, keeps us safe, and leads us to respond with a fight or flight response to a perception of danger. But any fear can be destructive in causing us to hold back from meeting a challenge or acting to achieve a desired goal. Such a fear can lead us to think we are not worthy or don’t have the ability to confront and overcome an obstacle. It can lead us to fear those we should trust or retreat when we should move forward.
That’s why some commentators have called fear the most dangerous emotion or said that the biggest danger comes from being afraid. Thus, it is important to seek to have no fear or to attack and destroy it, once we feel fear.
Following are some quotes from well-known individuals talking about our biggest fears and the source of fear. As you think about their comments, think about how you can confront your own fears and take some action so you feel better. I’ll have more quotes and comments from the book to share in future articles.
The Biggest Fear
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States, 1882–1945.
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”
H. P. Lovecraft, American writer with a focus on horror fiction, 1890–1937.
“Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist and lecturer, 1803–1882.
“There is no greater hell than to be a prisoner of fear.”
Ben Jonson, English playwright, poet, actor, and literary critic. 1572–1637.
The Source of Fear
“Fear is an insidious and deadly thing. It can warp judgment, freeze reflexes, breed mistakes. Worse, it’s contagious.”
Jimmy Stewart, American actor and military officer, 1908–1997
“Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil.”
Aristotle, ancient Greek philosopher and scientist, 384 BC — 322 BC.
“Fear comes from uncertainty. When we are absolutely certain, whether of our worth or worthlessness, we are almost impervious to fear.”
William Congreve, English playwright and poet, 1670–1729.
“The deepest fear we have, ‘the fear beneath all fears,’ is the fear of not measuring up, the fear of judgment. It’s this fear that creates the stress and depression of everyday life.”
Tullian Tchividjian, former pastor of the Presbyterian Church in America denomination, 1972-present.
GINI GRAHAM SCOTT, Ph.D., J.D., is a nationally known writer, consultant, speaker, and seminar leader, specializing in business and work relationships, professional and personal development, social trends, and popular culture. She has published 50 books with major publishers. She has worked with dozens of clients on memoirs, self-help, popular business books, and film scripts. Writing samples are at www.changemakerspublishingandwriting.com.
She is the founder of Changemakers Publishing, featuring books on work, business, psychology, social trends, and self-help. The company has published over 150 print, e-books, and audiobooks. She has received national media exposure for her books, including appearances on Good Morning America, Oprah, and CNN.
Scott is active in a number of community and business groups, including the Lafayette, Pleasant Hill, and Walnut Creek Chambers of Commerce. She does workshops and seminars on the topics of her books.
She is also the writer and executive producer of 10 films in distribution, release, or production. Her most recent films that have been released include Driver, The New Age of Aging, and Infidelity.
She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and her J.D. from the University of San Francisco Law School. She has received five MAs at Cal State University, East Bay, most recently in Communication.