Mental Health Minute

Hello, again, Estes Park.

In thinking about how to jump into this new column, I found myself thinking, and thinking, and thinking, and thinking too much. Do you ever find yourself overthinking something?  That was a rhetorical question. I know it happens to pretty much everyone. As I thought about why I might be overthinking, I recognized a familiar nemesis: Fear. There was my topic. Fear seems like a perfectly appropriate subject for this Mental Health Minute.

Fear is a tricky beast. But even naming fear as a “nemesis” or a “beast” is actually an inaccurate way to think about fear. Fear isn’t something to battle. It is an emotion that is vital to our survival.  

When is fear vital? When it accurately assesses a threat to which we need to have a significant response. If the threat is to life and limb, our primitive brain is absolutely needed to keep us safe. And it needs to do so without conscious direction, because sometimes even the most infinitesimal delay could result in disaster.

I vividly remember an experience that exemplifies the life-saving effects of my primitive brain acting without my conscious direction. It was about 9 p.m., and I was driving home via Highway 36. As I rounded a corner, I saw a big bull elk standing in the middle of the road. Before I could consciously recognize what was happening, I was already swerving around the elk and missed hitting him. 

What was also fascinating was that it was basically at this time of year, and my allergies were killing me. I was completely congested and couldn’t breathe through my nose. For that brief millisecond, though, my sinuses opened fully. My system did everything needed to help me survive the threat. Afterwards, I went right back to breathing through my mouth.

Based on our genetic loading and history, we all react to perceived threats differently. “Perceived threat” is an important concept to consider. I regularly talk with clients about how often perception creates reality. Sometimes, one’s primitive brain activates the emergency response system when current circumstances do not truly indicate it.

The good news about fear and anxiety is that there are very helpful techniques one can learn to help “re-wire” some elevated nervous system responses. The book “Rewire Your Anxious Brain” by Catherine Pittman and Elizabeth Karle is an accessible introduction to the neurobiology of anxiety.

When one is experiencing some obsessive or compulsive thoughts or behaviors, possibly indicating a progression along the anxiety continuum, the book “Brain Lock: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior ” by Jeffrey Schwartz, a research psychiatrist at the School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, could also be helpful.

Other useful tools include mindfulness work, meditation, grounding/centering practices, body work such as yoga, massage, and acupuncture, and medications.

Connecting with others in a meaningful and safe way is also hugely protective in many areas of life. 

Of course, people who have experienced any traumatic upbringing and or experiences are very likely to have a range of symptoms that may require more consideration.

I hope you can approach these feelings with a little more objectivity and maybe even some gratitude for the amazing, life-saving emotion of fear.

Sarah Hills, LPC, CAS, CAI, has a master’s degree in community counseling and the certification required by the state of Colorado as a certified addictions specialist at the supervisory level. She is also a certified ARISE® Interventionist. She is office-based in Estes Park and can be reached by phone at 720-250-6610. Click here to review her website.