FEAR is the emotion of the week

Fear is another emotion that many consider “negative.” But, as with all the emotions, fear is very valid and necessary for our emotional wellness.

Like anger, fear alerts us to a possible threat to us or to our loved ones - be it physical or emotional. It tells us that something is not right (I was going to say wrong, but I think that word is a lot more loaded when discussing mental health). It gives us a recognizable feeling to help us get through a situation.

For me, fear and anger go hand in hand. Because of my childhood, I many times had to hide my fear in order to stay safe. If I showed that I was afraid, it could up the response from my abuser because he thrived on instilling fear into me and my brothers. So I learned to push down that emotion so I could avoid more punishment.

Fear can often times turn to anger because of that stress response that rushes through our bodies. I have responded to emotional fear with anger because I hated the way fear felt. Unfortunately, this kind of response can take a toll on relationships. And that is why it is so important to recognize when you are afraid so that it can be dealt with appropriately.