Fear is a natural, powerful and intrinsic human emotion. Fear plays an essential role in alerting us to the presence of danger (real or imagined) and serves to help keep us safe from harm. However, in our current times, with the constant background thrum of COVID, along with the possibility of lockdowns (meaning for some: money worries, juggling home-schooling with work, isolation, mental health concerns or even domestic violence), our fear response has been in overdrive lately.
Fight or flight
Consider our primitive ancestors with limited technology and housing, living simply on the land and of the land, sharing their space with wild animals and uncertainty. In their daily living, they could face surprise dangers, such as giant tigers and bears (oh my!). The human body cleverly developed an ‘acute-stress response’, also known as the ‘fight or flight response’, to improve our chances of survival when under a perceived threat. When in danger, the most immediate and effective way we can respond is to ‘fight’ or ‘flee’ – to try to save our lives and minimise the threat. There is also a third response: to ‘freeze’ and hope they don’t see you, or to give you a chance to get ready for your next move.
When our ‘acute-stress response’, or ‘survival response’, is stimulated, it triggers a biochemical and physiological reaction to allow us the best chance of survival. Stress hormones are activated in the body, creating a chain-reaction of events that include: increase in heart rate; increase in blood pressure; quickening of breath (all to prepare the body to fight or flee); dilation of pupils (for sharper vision to be more aware of surroundings); increase in blood flow to legs and arms (to allow for increased action); and decrease in blood flow to digestive organs (to effectively shut down digestion so you don’t have to pause to excrete while trying to fend off a threat). This survival response is activated instantly and without conscious choice – an automatic reaction from the amygdala part of the brain triggers the domino effect throughout the body. These immediate reactions are there to protect us from danger in circumstances where taking the time to stop to think could cost us our lives.
Acute vs sustained stress
If people didn’t fear, they wouldn’t be able to protect themselves from legitimate threats. However,
in the modern world we don’t face the same dangers to our lives, yet the stress response is still being activated. And while our ancestors experienced acute, high-level stress in anticipation of an imminent threat, the danger was usually immediate and over quickly. The stresses we face today are different – they are chronic, low-level and continual. Even before COVID, our never-ending ‘to do’ lists, demands of family, or simply managing relationship dynamics, has meant we are no longer facing ‘acute’ stress that is simply short-term and done with – instead constant and frequent stressors keep coming into our lives which cannot be easily addressed.
The events of the last 18 months has put the whole of society into a state of uninterrupted fear. This situation is unique in that it’s not just confined to one country or demographic – everyone in the world is being impacted by what’s going on. And whether you have been personally impacted by the virus or not, the flow on effect of lockdowns (or the possibility of lockdowns), temporary loss of income, job dismissals, home-schooling, mental health, separation from loved ones, disappointment due to change of plans, etc, is something that we are all subject to. This is having huge consequences on our fight or flight response and our nervous system’s capacity to restore equilibrium.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Fear
From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, the fear response relates to the Water element, which includes the Kidneys and Bladder. While there are other correlations to fear and worry, for simplicity I will focus on a few key points related to the Water element, which I hope you will find useful in current times. According to TCM, our ‘survival response’ is triggered by a fear of the unknown. Consider what it’s like approaching a murky lake, where you can’t see beneath the surface of the water. To contemplate diving into the depths can trigger a great deal of fear, as what is below is completely unknown. Is it deep or shallow? Are there branches or rocks? What dangerous animals lurk in the darkness? When we don’t have clear access to information about something, our minds consider all the possibilities for the sake of our safety. When we feel under threat in this way, we often do what we can to control our environment in order to make it safe, and also to limit our fear. We try to think our way to safety, and try to come up with safe solutions.
In TCM, fear is said to deplete the Kidneys and our internal Qi, leading to exhaustion. Symptoms of Kidney imbalance, or an ongoing fear response include: Frequent urination, urinary incontinence, night sweats, dry mouth, poor short-term memory, low back pain, ringing in the ears, hearing loss, other ear conditions, premature gray hair, hair loss, and osteoporosis.
Certain foods may help replenish the Kidneys if you are feeling depleted or have symptoms of Kidney imbalance. Try adding seafood, black beans, Kidney beans, bone broth, asparagus, celery, parsley, or ginger to your meals. Focus on warm, hearty soups and whole grains, and snack on some roasted nuts.
Assisting the survival response
Emotionally, the key lesson for the Water element in TCM is to listen to your innate knowing. We need to trust our instincts rather than react to fear, as it is our instincts that keep us safe. Look at activities that help you tap into your intuition and inner wisdom, and build up your Qi. Meditation, Qi Gong, Yoga, and deep abdominal breathing are all an excellent start. Limit any energy drains in your life (obligations, relationships or other activities that deplete your energy). Turn off the TV and news, which only serve to pummel you with fear-inducing language and stimuli. Do some ‘grounding’ activities – hike a mountain, take a walk in nature, stomp your feet, go for a run, dance, light a fire under the stars. Eat well and limit over-stimulating substances like caffeine and sugar.
While the survival response happens automatically, it doesn’t always mean it is accurate. Sometimes we respond this way when there is no immediate threat or danger. And while there may be a very real threat to our lives due to the looming presence of COVID, your immune system will cope much better if you are not in a constant state of fear if it hits you. So do yourself a favour and focus on all that is wonderful in your life right now, not only the possibilities of something that may or may not even happen. Make choices that uplift your energy rather than deplete it. Do what you can to stay connected to your intuition so that you can be more discerning of real, versus perceived, threats and minimise your survival response. After all, life is meant to be lived, not feared.
While I may not be reachable for some of you in-person – I’m still doing online kinesiology sessions and am open for in-person sessions when possible. If you are not sure about how an online session could work but wish to find out more, feel free to contact me on 0408 081 455 for further information. If finances are of a concern but you feel you need some extra support right now, please reach out and let me know – I am happy to offer concession rates at this time to make my services available to anyone in need. Michelle