[Neurons] 2020 Neurons #11 THE REAL PANDEMIC --- THE FEAR VIRUS

[Michael Hall]

From: L. Michael Hall 

2020 Neurons #11

March 12, 2020

Thinking for a Living Series #2

 

 

THE REAL PANDEMIC-

THE FEAR VIRUS

 

While the coronavirus (covid-19) is a new and unknown medical problem, and
like the flu and other viruses, it is to be dealt with intelligently.  The
real pandemic that we're facing today, however, is the pandemic of fear.
What we know today is that the great majority of people who will catch the
virus will recover.  That's been the case in China.

 

The real pandemic is not even fear.  Fear is a good healthy emotion when
there is something truly threatening and dangerous.  Fear motivates us to
take precautions.  In this case, washing hands regularly, social distancing,
staying healthy, etc.  Fear, however, becomes unhealthy when it is
unrealistic and exaggerated.  And fear becomes toxic and dangerous when we
are fearing fear.  With healthy fear, the energy that the emotion of fear
evokes gives you something to do -a way of directing your energies to do
what you can.

 

With unhealthy fear, the energy that is evoked has nowhere to go except to
your mind, your emotions, and your body.  You become fearful of yourself,
your experience, and all sorts of concepts- like the future.  This is what
has been happening- mostly thanks to the media who puts it front and center
24/7.  People are fearful of what the coronavirus means, or could mean, and
that has led to a lot of panicking.  It has led to runs on goods at grocery
stores, the sell-off of the markets on Wall Street, cancellations on
traveling, non-medical people wearing masks (which does nothing), etc.

 

What happens when you fear fear, when you become fearful, anxious, worried,
and apprehensive about what could happen?  You enter into a trance state of
fear which then enables you to see fearful dangers and threats everywhere.
You color your perspective with a dark fear that makes you imagine the
worst, feel paranoid, and invent conspiracy theories.  With the feeling of
fear driving your psychology, you exaggerate real problems, personalize the
danger, forget the actual statistics, awfulize, and develop a dark tunnel
vision.  All of that, in turn, creates psycho-somatic problems- headaches,
ulcers, asthma, etc.

 

The panicking that happened during the Great Depression led Franklin D.
Roosevelt to utter the famous words, "We have nothing to fear but fear
itself."  He made that statement in his inaugural statement in 1933 as he
also described the problem with unreasonable fear.

"So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have
to fear is ... fear itself- nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which
paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.  In every dark
hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and of vigor has met
with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is
essential to victory.  And I am convinced that you will again give that
support to leadership in these critical days."

 

While realistic fear can be healthy and useful, unrealistic fear generates
self-created problems.  Then, as people panic- the panic itself gives people
yet one more thing to fear.  Investors, fearing the financial panicking,
themselves panic which then amplifies the panicking.  Like little children
imagining the shadows are monsters hiding in the closet- so we are creating
all sorts of monsters which only amplifies the panic of fear.  Add partisan
politics to the mix as many are doing, and you have a perform storm of panic
about panicking.

 

What's a better approach? 

           Remind yourself of the statistics-80% will recover quickly, 20%
will have some complications, and the 2% with immunity-deficiency,
resperatory problem will die.

           Stay calm and cool, prepare, don't panic.

           Don't empty the shelves at the grocery store.

           Wash hands regularly.

           Eat lots of fruits and vegetables for the required nutriments.

           Realize that this too will pass.

           If you're under 60 and no underlying health problems- go for a
trip.

           Set aside a 3 to 6-months emergency fund so you can easily
handle the lack of employment for that period of time. (See Inside-Out
Wealth).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L. Michael Hall, Ph.D.

Executive Director, Neuro-Semantics

P.O. Box 8

Clifton CO. 81520 USA

www.neurosemantics.com   

 

The stunning new history of NLP--- NLP Secrets.  

Investigative Journalism which has exposed what has been kept secrets for
decades. 

http://www.neurosemantics.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/NLP-Secrets-2_sml2.
png

 

 

 

 

 

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