Overcome Fear and Regain Self-Control

People often succumb to fears and emotions, although they should be controlled

The Ancient Romans judged the capabilities of a warrior from his face: they noticed if a warrior turned pale or red in the face at critical moments. Preference was given to pale soldiers: they had composure and the determination to win. If a critical situation makes a person blush, it means that he or she is subject to anger, fear or carelessness, although such people are usually confident in everyday life.

Scientists, at the end of the 20th century,  managed to find an explanation for such reactions: they are caused by adrenal hormones - adrenalin and noradrenaline. The former is often called the "rabbit hormone," because it causes anxiety and alarm. The latter is called the "lion hormone," for it gives physical and psychological resolve against stress. Adrenalin-type people blush, whereas noradrenaline-type people turn pale.

Today, scientists are trying to find a way to control the balance of hormones in the human body. If they succeed, people will be able to consciously manipulate it.
Some people are afraid of the darks, but it is possible to overcome this fear, if they find courage to do it. If someone has never walked around a graveyard at night, or never jumped with a parachute, they have to conquer their fears in their adult lives. Why are people afraid of heights? This fear is caused by a physiological reaction: looking down and seeing no bottom causes dizziness. People takes fright at that and become more vulnerable. Why do drunk people fall from high altitudes and stay alive at times? Because they have forgotten their fear and fall down in a proper way instinctively. A sober person usually dies in the air from a heart attack.
A seriously wounded individual does not feel pain, because an extreme situation reveals the ability of a human body to control its condition. A person forgets about pain in an extreme situation, and the body manages to recover faster.

One has to learn to command the brain in everyday life too: "It does not hurt me, I feel fine." However, people usually complain of pain or discomfort. When it is cold, people succumb to the frigid environment, although they should think that it is not cold, but hot, and it will feel like it is so. This is not autosuggestion; it is the art of manipulating the body and the mind. People are even capable of stopping tachycardia attacks: when we put a hand to the heart, we block the pain, signaling to the heart to beat more slowly.

Here is another example: 15 minutes of sound sleep without any dreams is sometimes enough to have a very good rest. How to do it can be learned. There are certain exercises that foster the condition: automassage, manipulation of internal energies, exercising the joints and active relaxation. This has all been tested and practiced. Here is one of the easiest exercises: before going to bed, strain all your body parts one after another from your feet to your head and then relax, counting to ten. Sleep will be very good after this exercise, and you will feel fine and fresh in the morning. One should not count sheep to fall asleep, because it keeps the body and the mind tense.

Ekaterina Skorodinskaya