Management of the Emotional Impact of Fear.

Everyone has experienced feeling afraid of something. Fear has a legitimate function since it alerts us to something that could possibly be harmful. Usually, we are able to assess the situation and see if there is any real danger, then take steps to deal with the problem. However, sometimes our fear interferes with the activities of daily living. We may have a restless sleep, difficulty concentrating or loss of appetite. This is often frustrating because we think of our fear as unrealistic but remain hampered by it.

Management of the emotional impact of fear takes time and involves different feelings. While we know there is a wide range of common, normal reactions to experiences of fear, we also know that each person may not have exactly the same feelings or reactions. Sometimes feelings can change quickly or seem to go from one extreme to another. Try to be understanding of yourself and those you care about, and recall that you may not have the same feelings, or have them at exactly the same time. Reactions may be cognitive, physical, behavioral or emotional. Fear reduction takes time, but will take place when you provide adequate self-care, and elicit support.