Fear is the Mind Killer

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.” – Frank Herbert, Dune

Rarely do people want to admit to being afraid. In many societies, being afraid is negatively viewed and the butt of jokes. But as we know, life is complex and experiencing fear is inevitable. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you’re about to be mauled by a tiger, fear will help move your legs as quickly as possible to get to safety (or at least to outrun the person you are with). As the opening quote points out, debilitating fear is a mind killer. If you are unable to make a decision or take action due to fear, life will make the decision for you. Time doesn’t account for fear and will continue to move on whether you’re frozen or not.

Understanding fear is important. It turns out, fear is very complex and challenging to fully comprehend. Experts vary on the exact definition but tend to agree it is a combination of conscious and unconscious response to an external event¹. This is made more complex by the multiple and inconsistent emotions explained by people when describing fear². Instead of trying to tackle all instances of fear, which would require a much lengthier post, let’s focus on the fear which keeps people from taking action.

It is common to experience the fear of action. Fear often shows itself in the form of anxiety and studies show it’s on the rise. Pre-pandemic, anxiety increased from 7.97% to 14.66% among respondents 18-25 years old from 2008 to 2018⁵. Post-pandemic, these numbers worsened to a 27.6% increase of anxiety in 2020⁶. To push passed events you can’t control, ask yourself the uncomfortable questions. Afraid to start your own business because you might fail? Afraid to ask a person on a date because they might say no? The scenarios are endless, but how to conquer them is similar.

The best way to overcome fear is to face it³. De-mystification of fear is essential to making forward progress. This doesn’t equate to rash action; rather, preparation and planning are best when trying to tackle such unknowns⁴. If the world is closing in, take a deep breath and a step back. Go for a walk in nature. Form a plan and take action. 

Action: Reflect on something you have been avoiding due to fear/anxiety. Create a plan and execute it.

Note: If you are struggling with extreme fear or anxiety, we strongly encourage reaching out to trained and licensed practitioners.

Further Reading:

1. On the Nature of Fear
2. The Biology of Fear
3. How to Deal with Fear and Anxiety
4. 14 Ways To Conquer Fear
5. Trends in anxiety among adults in the United States, 2008–2018: Rapid increases among young adults
6. Global prevalence and burden of depressive and anxiety disorders in 204 countries and territories in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic