Spiders, snakes, zombies…oh my! These are a few of many things that can strike fear into the hearts of many. Everyone has something they are afraid of. For me, it's bees, wasps, and hornets. Even though I’ve never been stung, the thought of it frightens me, and this has prevented me from enjoying a casual walk on a nice and sunny day. However, when that fear interrupts our daily lives, it can turn into a phobia. Phobia is a persistent and irrational fear of an object, activity, or situation that is impossible to control. Luckily, there are ways to help manage our fears. There are videos on YouTube that are created to trigger certain phobias. A few of the most common fears are spiders (arachnophobia), ghost (phasmophobia), the dark (nyctophobia), and even a cluster of holes (trypophobia). Fear, although uncomfortable and unpleasant, is necessary for our survival. According to a 2005 HowStuffWorks article written by Julia Layton, “In the course of human evolution, the people who feared the right things survived to pass on their genes. In passing on their genes, the trait of fear and the response to it were selected as beneficial to the race.” Layton then continues to talk about Charles Darwin’s reasoning behind why people make “that wide-eyed, gaping grimace that often accompanies sheer terror” which Darwin believed the tightening of muscles was an evolved response to fear. Layton mentions even though Darwin was never bitten by a snake, he still feared snakes. Like how we fear rats even though we never experienced the Plague. There are ways to live our lives to the fullest without our fears disrupting our daily routines. Dr. Amy Morin, who is a psychotherapist and the Editor-In-Chief of Verywell Mind, published an article that gives helpful tips on how to cope with fear. The first tip she provides is doing research into what makes you afraid. An example she uses “…you might be afraid of airplanes because it seems like you have heard about a lot of in-air incidents that lead to injury or death. However, if you look into the statistics, you might learn that the probability of death on a U.S. commercial jet airline is 1 in 7 million (in comparison to 1 in 600 from smoking).” Another way to manage fears is to create an action plan. Dr. Morin explains it's okay to have “…a moderate amount of anxiety…” and not to wait for that feeling to go away, but keep moving forward. Seeking therapy can be very helpful as the author lists a few treatments that can help manage fears such as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), exposure therapy (also known as immersion therapy), and psychoanalytic theory. Finally, she suggests facing your fears instead of avoiding them. Dr. Morin says, “While avoiding the situations you fear might make you feel better in the short term, avoidance can cause increased anxiety in the long term. When you completely avoid your fears, you teach your amygdala (the fear center in your brain) that you can't handle them.” She states if you expose yourself to the fear in small doses it can actually help decrease anxiety “…or letting your brain become accustomed to the fear.” I find the thought of fear being passed down from generations to generations fascinating. I think Dr. Morin’s article provides great advice for those who want to learn to cope with fear and anxiety. A strategy that helps me manage my fears are looking at YouTube videos of people who share their experiences facing what I fear. I find that hearing other people have the same phobia as you, and how they cope with it, can make you feel less ashamed and more empowered to take steps to not letting whatever you're afraid of stop you from living your best life. With that being said, I would like to say have a safe and fun Halloween and don’t forget to take care of yourselves!
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I think of white marble statues of famous ancient Greeks in a huge library when I hear the word philosophy. When you break down the word, Philo means love and sophos means wisdom. To me, it sounds as if the word “philosophy” could mean “love for wisdom.” I’ve only taken two philosophy courses during my college career, and it was challenging to understand the texts I was assigned to read. Luckily, YouTube exists, and I was able to come across a couple of YouTube channels, like The School of Life and Einzelgänger, that made it easy to understand philosophy. Recently, I’ve found myself watching philosophical videos when I need guidance. It has me wondering if philosophy can be a good tool to ease our anxiety and depression.
In this blog, I want to focus on stoicism. According to “What is Stoicism?” published by the Daily Stoic, “... Stoicism is a tool in the pursuit of self-mastery, perseverance, and wisdom: something one uses to live a great life, rather than some esoteric field of academic inquiry.” It is usually thought of as being “emotionless.” However, based on the quote, stoicism is meant to accept things that are out of our control and focus on things we can control. For example, we can’t control peoples’ thoughts and actions, but we can control our own. Another example is we can't control what has happened in the past, but we can control what we do in the present. The four virtues that are valuable to stoics are courage, temperance, justice and wisdom. Courage is important to have because you will face challenges in life that will require bravery. However, knowing when to walk away instead of fighting is an important skill to have, and that is known as temperance. According to Aristotle, temperance is having the right balance and not excess. Serving justice by changing society’s evil ways through activism is another valuable virtue to the stoics. Last, but certainly not least, wisdom is valued among stoics. Wisdom is being able to know what to do in a situation, and it is gained by a person’s life experience. There are some schools of thought that may go against stoicism, which is why I don’t think it's a definitive way to cure our anxieties. Although, I believe some aspects can be helpful in our daily lives. Everyone is different, and stoicism is not favored by everyone. It's important to learn different philosophical views and see how it can be applied in your daily life. Here are a few quotes from Stoic philosophers that can maybe think can be helpful during difficult times:
UPDATED: 11/29/2023 So, I’ve discussed ways we can take care of someone going through depression and anxiety in one of my previous blogs. However, we must take care of ourselves as well. As the old saying goes, ‘we must help ourselves before we help anyone else.’ There are many ways we can improve our mental well-being that can be fun and affordable. I know for most of us, the last thing we want to do exercise and would prefer to lay in our beds and binge watch our favorite TV shows. However, physical activity is one of the most well-known and effective stress-reducing tools. According to an article published on Mayo Clinic, regular exercise can help ease anxiety and depression by releasing chemicals, like endorphins, that make us feel good. Physical activity, like walking and jogging, can also be a great way to socialize with other people, which is also good for our mental health. The article also states to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program to make sure it won't negatively impact your health. Another physical activity that can be helpful is gardening. A 2018 study shows gardening can lower blood pressure and restore strength and dexterity. It can also increase social interaction, which can lower the risk of dementia. I find learning new skills that use my brain power can be another great stress reducing tool. For example, I’m currently learning to develop web pages on an app called Sololearn. Not only does it teach me skills that are valuable in the job market, it also increases my focus on solving problems instead of my daily stressors. Studies show learning new skills can increase self-confidence, give you a sense of purpose, and connect with other people. If you don’t have time to learn new skills, I highly recommend enrolling in a self-paced online class. There are websites, like Coursera and Edx, that offer free self-paced college courses on a variety of subjects including psychology, philosophy, and science. Learning another language can also be fun and engaging. Two of the most popular language learning websites you’ve probably heard of are Duolingo (what I currently use to learn Japanese) and Babbel. There is also another website I heard from a co-worker called Mango Languages which can be free to use through select libraries, schools, and organizations. For libraries, you need to have a library card because it will ask for the barcode number. It is critical for those who are experiencing major health conditions, such as cancer, to take care of their mental health as well. According to a 2022 article published by the National Cancer Institute, it is likely that stress can indirectly increase the risk of cancer. An example the article provides is “...people under chronic stress may develop certain unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, overeating, becoming less active, or drinking alcohol, that are themselves associated with increased risks of some cancers.” A cancer diagnosis can be one of the most frightening things, a person and their loved ones, can hear. Luckily, there is support to help you and your loved ones through this challenging time. In June 2023, The Mesothelioma Center published “Mental Health and Mesothelioma.” The article provides helpful tips for people diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer that affects the lining of the lungs and can occur in the lining of other organs, on how to care for their mental health. The tips in the article not only come from health experts but from mesothelioma survivors as well. It's important to take care of ourselves, especially during stressful situations. Having time to relax will allow us to think more clearly, boost our mood and solve problems more effectively. I strongly advise you to speak to a medical professional if your mental health is disrupting your daily routine or is getting worse. |
AuthorHello, My name is Ashley Downes, I'm a graduate student who has an interest in mental health, film/TV, and music and wants to share that with others. I'm NOT a mental health professional and my blogs AREN'T meant to be a replacement for mental health services such as therapy. Archives
October 2022
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