Good or bad fear?
3 characteristics that will tell you the difference
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Fear is generally not a nice feeling, but it's not always bad. You can find out when and what fear is good for and how we can tell here.
Sometimes they stand in our way, often they burden us and mostly they puzzles us – but our feelings almost always have a meaning. Both the pleasant and the unpleasant. Like fear, for example.
Originally, fear primarily had a protective function and was supposed to help us survive. For example, it was a very valuable emotion for our ancestors when they still lived in the wilderness and were exposed to all possible dangers such as predators, winters and broken bones, which could lead to death due to a lack of medical care: Following their fear, they avoided threatening situations and learned caution and foresight.
Nowadays there is no longer a mortal danger lurking around every corner, but our fear still has a meaning: Sometimes it serves our protection (e.g. fear of heights or fear of infecting yourself or others with Corona). Sometimes it shows us who or what is particularly important to us or what our sore points are (fear of the death of loved ones, fear of rejection). And sometimes it "only" makes us rethink our perception and situation and come to the conclusion that we really don't have to be afraid (fear of contradicting something, trying something new and many, many, many more).
However, fear can sometimes mislead us or get in the way when we should actually stroll on whistling happily. Fear can not only be protective, constructive and good, but also destructive, destructive and bad. And the following characteristics usually suggest that the latter is the case.
3 Typical Features of Bad Anxiety
Bad fear paralyzes instead of navigating.
Bad fear typically freezes us. It surrounds us like an invisible prison from which there seems to be no way out. Bad fear makes us unfree and prevents us from moving forward, while good fear shows us the direction.
Bad fear makes you lonely.
If we are afraid of things that do not seem to be a problem for most other people, that is a strong indication that it is a bad fear – not always, after all, the majority can be wrong sometimes, but very often. Bad fear often ultimately leads to loneliness and isolation.
Bad fear takes control from us.
Bad fear often develops a momentum of its own that is difficult to stop. It absorbs our thoughts and ideas, makes us lie awake at night and not concentrate during the day. Because the triggers of bad fear are seldom tangible – they are often abstract products of our own imagination – they can usually hardly be refuted.
Important: We all feel good and bad fear sometimes, after all, we all have to learn throughout our lives to deal constructively with the world and our feelings. In part, we can recognize toxic fear in time and free ourselves from it. However, if you observe the phenomena described in yourself or others or see other indications that you or people around you might have an anxiety disorder, you should definitely seek advice from a therapist or contact the telephone counseling service as a first step.Because sometimes our feelings also have this meaning: To make us aware that we need help.