Fear....how it defeats rational thought

If you are in a panic; you can't think.

At least, you can't think with much in the way of rational clarity

Fear activates the flight or fight response, fills our body with chemical messengers like adrenaline and cortisol that change our breathing patterns, the way our muscles can respond, can narrow our awareness and change our gut response too.

Which makes fear a very bad place to make decisions from.

But it seems we live our life today in an almost permanent wash of fear. From 24 hour news that tells us about the awful thing that will happen next (war, flood, famine & violence) to the positing of ' what if' scenarios. What if YOU got flooded, what if YOU lost your job, what if YOU were attacked?

Then your own imagination can fill in the blanks to create the most incredible fearful images and feelings.

Leaving you debilitated, unable to think clearly and easily persuaded and controlled by others.

From nuclear war to terrorist attack, from the dangers of smoking to GM food; they all are used to induce fear.

So today, take a step back, take a deep breath in and stop for just a moment and ask the question; "does any of this apply to me right here, right now in this moment?"

Because the chances are that  none of these things are directly affecting you in that moment. So relax take another deep breath and move on with the rest of your day with a clearer mind and the ability to reconnect with your rational thought patterns.