We all feel fear. It’s a primal emotion, that’s deeply ingrained in human evolution, essential for our survival in the face of danger.

But what happens when we experience prolonged states of fear? When we let fear invade our lives multiple times per day?

Today on I Love Me The Podcast, we learn how to love away our fear, so it doesn’t cripple our immune system and get in the way of us living healthy, happy lives.

 

Hi fearless beauty, it’s Tamra here.

Last week we talked all about the two different types of fear, and how to use fear to serve us.

This week, I want to explain the physiology of fear.

What’s happening in our physical body, when we experience fear, and especially in those times when we’re in prolonged states of fear.

Because, while fear has a purpose – to move us out of danger’s way, OR to signal a growth opportunity – there is no purpose in remaining in a constant state of fear.

For this has the ability to erode not only our mental health, but our physical health as well.

So let’s begin by getting a better understanding of the complex interplay between the brain, our hormones and the body’s response mechanisms, when we enter into a state of fear.

There is a small almond-shaped structure deep within our brain’s temporal lobe, called the amygdala.

We can think of the amygdala like the brain’s ‘fear centre’.

It processes incoming sensory information and triggers appropriate responses.

When it thinks there is a threat, the amygdala sends a signal to the regions responsible for firing off our body’s fight-or-flight response.

This triggers off a cascade of events, such as an increase in our heart rate, heightened senses, and the release of stress hormones like adrenalin and cortisol.

We want this to happen if a tiger’s about to pounce on us, as it gives us the superpowers we need to get out of the tiger’s way.

The adrenalin increases blood flow to our muscles, making us stronger…

It’s this adrenalin rush that can also increase our speed and agility in case we need to run… and run fast…

The adrenalin also suppresses the sensation of pain, so it we’ve been hurt, we can focus on getting to safety, as opposed to being overwhelmed by the severity of the pain…

Because the brain is prioritising our survival, it heightens our mental focus and clarity, so we can make quick decisions to help us get to safety…

And the increased heart and breathing rate supply the body with more oxygen-rich blood, fuelling our muscles and vital organs, so we can sustain the physical exertion during a fight-or-flight situation.

So in this respect, when there is a real danger to our life, we want this physical fear response in our body to activate, because it supports us in dealing with the situation at hand.

Where this becomes a problem, is when those imagined grizzly bears start to surround us, and our body activates the fear response on a more regular basis.

Or if we live in a constant state of fear…

Fear of losing our job.. our partner… our house…

Fear of being late… of not getting that uni assignment in on time…

Fear of not being good enough… smart enough… or pretty enough…

When we start to live in this constant state of fear, where our lives are NOT in physical danger, this chronic activation of the fight-or-flight response can have negative consequences on our health and overall wellbeing.

Yes, when we hold onto fear, that fear can cripple our immune system, and increase our risk of getting sick.

Put simply:

Fear shuts down our immune system.

I’ll explain how…

There are two protection systems in the human body, the adrenal system, which we just discussed.

This is the one that takes care of external threats and is known for its ability to trigger the fight-or-flight response.

The other one is the immune system which looks after internal threats such as bacteria and viruses.

The adrenal system fires into action when we’re in danger.

Like when we start to cross the road and realise there’s a fast car heading our way…

It’s the adrenal system that sends that superpower-like energy to our arms and legs so we can move out of harm’s way at lightening speed.

Now, before the blood was sent to our arms and legs – as a result of the fight-or-flight response being activated – the blood was being used to help operate our internal organs.

All the organs necessary for us to stay alive!

Without our blood’s nourishment, these organs stop doing their life-sustaining work of digestion, absorption, excretion, and many other functions that help keep our cells healthy.

What I’m saying, is that when our fight-or-flight response is activated – when our adrenals are in action – there is no longer energy being sent to our immune system.

Now this is totally ok for short periods of time.

Because this is our built-in system to keep us alive in an emergency.

Once we’re no longer experiencing fear and stress, when our body knows it’s safe, the fight-or-flight response is deactivated, and our body goes back to it’s normal functioning…

.. where energy is being sent to our immune system, so our body can continue on with the healing that allows us to stay well.

But what if we’re always in a state of stress?

Always fearful of something…

Fearful of someone’s judgements and criticisms..

Fearful of getting in trouble…

Fearful of not being heard…

Fearful of being taken advantage off…

Fearful of well… all kinds of crazy things… and, while they may feel really scary, are NOT life-threatening…

These fears also triggers our adrenal system into that fight-or-flight mode.

Yes, everyday stress and fear triggers off this same response in the body.

But unlike the dangerous situation with the speeding car or the tiger, where the adrenal system only kicked in for a few minutes or less, until we were out of harm’s way…

Constantly living in fear keeps our adrenal system in action mode, which means there’s little to no energy being sent to our other organs.

Our immune system is designed to protect us from sickness.

But our immune system requires a lot of energy to keep it firing on all cylinders.

So if your energy is going towards your adrenals – because you’re living in fear, stressed out of all the time – then there’s no energy left for your immune system.

You see, the adrenal system shuts down the immune system.

Our bodies are so smart, they will always supply our adrenals first, if it perceives a threat, because in most cases, a tiger or an out of control car is gonna kill us quicker than a virus.

So the problem comes when the perceived threat – for example, a looming deadline or fears we’ve taken on, that constantly invade our thoughts…

These kinds of ongoing fears, create an ongoing stress-response.

Our adrenal system remains activated, which means our immune system remains shut down.

This is how fear and stress deplete our immune system.

This is why in my 20s when I was in the midst of depression and anxiety, I was always catching colds and virus’.

Yes, people who have a mental health condition, or are walking around full of stress and fear, they have a tendency to get sick more often.

It’s not that there’s anything wrong with their bodies per say…

It’s that they haven’t learnt how to cope with stress and fear in a meaningful way.

They don’t have tools and techniques to be able to move their body out of that fight-or-flight response, back into it’s natural state of ease, where the immune system is active.

If you want to boost your immune system – and direct energy to it – you need to look at where you’re putting your energy.

If you’re watching each news report on the edge of your seat, or running around like a headless chook, never taking time to rest and be in a peaceful state… you’re essentially telling your body to keep your adrenal system activated.

And this comes at the expense of your immune system.

The more we focus on things that ignite fear within us, the more fear it triggers.

The irony being, that the more fearful we become, the more vulnerable we become.

So if you have a tendency to catch every cold going round the office, if you feel rundown on a regular basis, it may be time to look at the deeper issues.

What are the habitual patterns that allow you to fall into fear-states?

What are the things you’re doing each and every day that trigger off the negative thinking patterns?

Most of us are so practised at fear, that it can be hard to do anything but sink into the fear.

And if this is you, I invite you to revisit last week’s Episode 39 – When little Miss Fear drops round for a cuppa – so you can learn how to engage with fear in a new way.

Yes, I teach you how to let fear serve you, so you can move through it in a healthy way, that propels your forward.

Because like I said at the beginning of the episode, fear has a purpose.

We simply need to know how to work with it, so it can support us.

What I will say is this:

Fear-fuelled thinking is hard-wired into us as a young age.

While fear is a natural response to get us out of danger’s way.

The majority of us have learnt to be in fear, even when our survival is not at risk.

But just as we learnt how to let fear rule our life, so too can we unlearn it.

So too can we make the conscious commitment to choose to be more positive.

For being positive is one of the best ways of boosting our immune system.

Not only does it switch off the flight-or-fight mode, it helps put our cells into a state of robust strength and agility.

The type of healthy state that will mean that if you do come into contact with a virus, you have the resources and ability to protect yourself from any internal invasion.

How do you stay positive?

A simple way is to be more grateful.

I’ve got a whole episode on being more grateful you can listen to: Could practising gratitude make you a happier person?

Other ways to be positive include…

Showing compassion, seeing the beauty in life, experiencing states of joy; these are all simple ways to boost our immune system, enhance our overall health and repair our DNA.

Laughing, and laughing daily is another way to kickstart internal healing.

I often get my clients to actively laugh each day, because it’s such a quick and easy way to move the body and mind into a healthier state.

Episode 33: Could laughter be the medicine you need? is a great place to explore the benefits of laughter, and discover how to invite more laughter into your life.

If fear is raining on your happy-parade, have a listen to last week’s episode, where I give you specific tools for short-circuiting the habitual fear-response.

Explore the other practices I’ve mentioned…

And next week I’ll share how to use meditation to ease you out of negative thinking patterns, so you can enjoy a calmer way of being.

Thanks for listening, and if you’re loving I Love Me the Podcast and want to dive deeper into self-love, and learn how to use meditation to rise above the fear and restore your body to health and harmony, check out The Way of Self-Love online course at my school gettingnaked.com.au.

And know that if you do enrol in this heart-opening program, that a percentage of profits go to planting trees, so together, we can re-robe Mother Earth.