Were You Raised to Be Afraid?

“I was raised to believe that being frightened meant being alive. Timeo, ergo sum. That being scared is not a frailty but a skill. That I displayed intelligence by shunning whatever displayed itself as welcoming or wild. That the scariest time-bomb in the world was me.” Some of us were raised to seek out scary things. Not in a fun way. Not like skydiving or watching horror films. Some of us were taught to expect and detect threats in every circumstance. Anticipating every buffet, ballgame and block party, every crosswalk, cough and conversation—we were taught to wonder: What could possibly go wrong? Oh, this. Or this. What in this tennis court or classroom could assault, infect, humiliate, or hurt me? Where in this palace or park awaits the as-yet-unseen splinter, strangler, quicksand, cliff? Where in this sweet hello hides the veiled insult or encoded curse? Can I be saved? We were taught that only one certainty exists: Danger looms everywhere like drums and fish in “Find the Hidden Picture” games. We were raised to believe that fear is the only real feeling, the only one we must trust. We were told: Other feelings are either unfounded fantasy or clever cons, like vivid feathered fishing-lures attracting trout: “Fun” and “desire” are false fronts drawing us ever closer to certain doom. We were told twenty million times: Trust your terrified gut. Let panic be your pilot. Listen when it whispers WORRY, FREEZE. FAWN. FLEE. Obey its command: CRY. We were t...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Anxiety and Panic Children and Teens Disorders Family General Mental Health and Wellness Parenting Psychology Publishers Spirituality & Health childhood fear fearful parenting Source Type: blogs