Is FEAR an illusion?

In today’s world, so many things are not as they appear…pictures can be changed, voices can be altered, people create a mask to hide behind, fearful of what people will think about who they really are.

I recently read something that defined fear as False Evidence Appearing Real. After thinking about that, that really is a great definition.

Consider this: A while ago, my doorbell rings at 3 a.m. My husband is dead to the world and can’t hear very well anyway, but I waken with a start. Who could it be at this time of night? Is something wrong with a neighbor or family member? Is it a drunk from the bar down the street trying to bum some money? Could it be a robber pretending he/she has a car problem?

My thoughts quickened the pace of my heart as I grabbed my housecoat and ventured toward the door. Should I even answer the door? I pulled the curtain away from the door, not unlocking it. Nobody was there. Since we have an L-shaped porch, I thought maybe whoever it was had gone to the other door. So I checked out the living room window…nobody. I went back to the kitchen door just as the doorbell went off again…and nobody was there!

Then I could smile. I realized UPS had delivered a package the day before and that the doorbell was stuck. Why it waited to go off until 3 a.m. remains a mystery. So I unlocked the door and screen door, fixed the doorbell and tried to go back to bed.

Too late…I was wide awake. The illusions I created in my mind caused a fear (false evidence appearing real) that jumpstarted my adrenaline.

Since that time, I’ve realized how often in many areas of my life I allow my fears to create havoc or to cause me to procrastinate…they sometimes hold me back from moving forward. I realize most of my fears ARE caused by my own misperceptions or illusions, and that’s something I can change. I can face them, shed light on them and deal with them…and they usually disappear.

How about you? What are you afraid of? Are your fears really self-created illusions?

I realize not all fears are easy to get rid of…I still have a fear of a big, wooly wood spider!