Groundhog Day 2017: Thriving in both chaos and order

It's been ten years since I wrote my first Groundhog Day article and even longer since I made the day something of a personal holiday. Here I am again noting the prognostications of various groundhogs, playing the film Groundhog Day [IMDB] on continuous repeat, reflecting on my journey in life over the past year, and revisiting the thoughts and writings of past Groundhog Days. These traditions are, for the most part, invented for myself by myself. That said, I also appreciate the company of others who choose to celebrate the day that has become uniquely special for me. It's a day that is oddly balanced as a visitation to both the repetitively routine and the excitingly evolving.

This past year has been tumultuous for many. Things have shifted in unexpected directions locally, socially, globally, politically, and environmentally. For better or worse, chaos is upon us. And yet, I find myself unafraid in the face of the unknown. I don't mean apathetic when I say unafraid; I mean that I feel ready and energized to experience new challenges. I have grown as a person thanks to the challenges I've experienced in life. Every new mountaintop -- whether literal or metaphorical -- has given me a new perspective. Sure, climbing each mountain was an arduous journey, but the experience has made me better able to climb the next mountain. Every challenge to my resolve has strengthened my willpower, every sadness has taught me new depths, and every smile has brought me new light. My journeys through chaos has become my new order.

In the ten years since I started writing each Groundhog Day, a lot has happened in my life. I have had more than a few perspective changing experiences coupled with more than a handful of "significant life events". I've learned well to embrace adventure and to seek challenge for myself both in my mind and the world around me. And yet, every year, I still circle back to a day of familiar routine and tradition.

Last year, I wrote about the value of perseverance and action. I expanded on those thoughts in a reflection on time. No matter how you choose to spend the time you have, be present in it. This year, I find myself thinking about the way that chaos has formed me into who I am, but how a personal foundation of meaning has given me purpose.

If life feels like a never-ending repetition, as it was for Phil in Groundhog Day, I invite you to find a way to create a little bit of chaos to stimulate fresh perspective. If instead you find yourself surrounded by chaos and turmoil, find a way to stay in the moment. If you panic, you allow the chaos which surrounds you to become a chaos within you. I invite you to thrive in the external storm of chaos while creating meaning and purpose within.

My life has been an amazing journey these past ten years; amazing in both its unexpected challenges and unanticipated growth. I expect that life will always present the unexpected and I know the future is unknown.
Life is a beautiful mix of chaos and order, routine and the unexpected. To live is to embrace that beauty and to heed the words of Douglas Adams in "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" [Goodreads]... Don't Panic.

Practice feeling afraid

You approach the podium. Your palms are sweaty. The audience is silent except for a few quiet coughs. Your mouth is dry. Do you remember what you are going to say? Will the words even form coherently? You swallow hard, briefly close your eyes, but when you open them again you're at home. You breath a sigh of relief, remembering that your presentation isn't for another three weeks. That exercise was effective though. Repeated exposure to associated stimuli is a common method for helping individuals address and overcome both minor fears and major trauma¹. The usefulness and accessibility of exposure goes beyond professional therapy and can be brought into your daily life.


Image source: Clipping of a movie poster of "The Fly" (1986) [IMDB], the film from which the pictured quote became famous.

"Be afraid. Be very afraid."
That phrase become well-known thanks to the 1986 film "The Fly". In it, when faced with a frightening situation, one character attempts to reassure while another states, in a matter-of-fact way, that one should be afraid and not pretend away from it. A similar embracing approach to fear is what I read in the short book "The Flinch". I have invited readers on many occasions to embrace fear and welcome the challenges of life. Taking it a step further, I invite you to make experiencing fear a familiar occurrence.

I'm certainly not encouraging you to go out and place yourself in dangerous and life-threatening situations. What I am saying is that you can incorporate the thought exercises and a safe implementation exposure therapy into your experiences with fear. (Beyond the minor common and/or irrational fears, I highly advise the inclusion of a mental health professional.)

I laid out a common fear in my opening, the fear of public speaking. Utilizing a similar thought exercise might enable you to feel less fear when facing the actual situation of public speaking. I don't just mean "practice your speech". I mean imagine the fear and anxiety of going through the scenario, even messing the scenario up. Take yourself through a worst case scenario and then mentally work through how you would handle it and why it's not worth the worst of your fear response. If you're afraid of spiders, learn about them and begin to understand how unlikely it is that they are a danger to you. If you're afraid of heights, sit comfortably on your couch and slowly look through images of high places.

Do these activities daily. Make it routine. You'll feel uncomfortable, you'll feel anxious. You'll react as if you're experiencing the real scenario. Meanwhile, inside your mind, the fear itself is diminishing. What was once a flutter of panic that lit up your amygdala and triggered your fight-or-flight response has now become familiar.

Be afraid, be very afraid, until your mind has learned to recognize and process that feeling as easily as hunger. Fear is manageable and accessible. After all, even if the scenario is often real, the way you think and respond to it is all in your head.

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¹ For more information about exposure therapy, I suggest starting with this article from the US Department of Veteran Affairs [ptsd.va.gov].

Politics haunted by fear

This morning, I was greeted by a post from my friend and frequent collaborator. He sought my opinion on "Scary Politics" [Slate].
Fifteen minutes later, I had written what clearly needed to become a full blog article. So, after a bit of editing, here it is....


Image source: "Fear" - Pixar Wiki

Fear is an effective motivator. It's instinctive and requires no higher thought; this is both a good and a bad thing. On the one hand, it can save our skin (literally) when rational decision making would take too long. On the other hand, our innate bodily systems (e.g. the limbic system) override and highjack our rational thought processes. In effect, our mind becomes helpless to the control of fight/flight.

You can see this response reflected in the current conservative base: Fight against perceived threats (terrorism, "lawlessness", drugs that will harm "the children"), run from things which overwhelm your already stressed mind (climate change, social inequality, religion vs reason), prepare for potential problems (tighter budgets, closer to home focus), etc.. Meanwhile, the liberal base is almost blinded by a euphoric abundance of hope and trust. Care for those in need (welfare, healthcare), provide for the future (college loan decrease, better fund education), invite social change and progress (look to the youth, legalize same-sex marriage), etc.. (For initial thoughts on the relationship between fear and trust: "Put your heart into it")

The result of these related but opposite "feelings" is a fundamental clash between ideologies (summarized well recently by Reddit user SnappyCrunch [Reddit]). In my opinion, what's needed is healthy critical thinking on the issues. Sometimes, fear needs to be acknowledged and obeyed. Other times, it needs to be set aside. I try often (and also encourage others) to recognize "The Flinch". Once you recognize that fear response you can engage higher reasoning to determine "Is this something I react to or push through?".

Personally, every time I face a challenge and feel that fear response, that flinch. I would acknowledge it and recognize that -- at that moment -- my body and senses were preparing for what I was going to do. Furthermore, I reassured myself that I had learned and developed the necessary skill to take on what I was about to do at that moment. And then... I proceed with the appropriate action based on those skills and understanding not based on the baser reaction. (If during my honest self-assessment, I felt that I did not have the necessary skill, I would choose not to proceed. Remember, critical thinking is about the decision not the outcome.)

Politically, this means acknowledging the triggers we have as a society and then addressing them on a grander scale with rational thought and respect for those who are struggling to overcome fear and expand their comfort zones. We can do this, but it's going to take effort within the mind of every individual before it will effectively change on a societal scale. As I said in one of my defining blog articles, "Life isn't about panic, luck, and control; it's about love, respect, and trust."

Review: The Longest Walk

The Longest Walk: An Odyssey of the Human Spirit by George Meegan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

George Meegan decided to take a walk. Not just any walk; he wanted to walk from the tip of South America to the arctic shores of Alaska. The book in which he chronicles his journey is as lengthy a read as was his walk, but I found it worthwhile to read his experiences throughout his journey and try to glean some understanding that I could apply in my own life.

One passage that stood out to me:

How dreadfully the fear of consequences can stifle so many valiant potential deeds, I thought, a fear threatening like a black hole to annihilate the star of one's soul, sucking the very matter out of an idea until it collapses and disappears, leaving nothing but a memory, a dream unfulfilled.

It is so important that we overcome the hesitation caused by fear, so that we might embrace possibility. The author described his life-changing walk in detail. And I think his final reflections are universally paramount:

I gave thanks for the opportunity to share my fellow human beings' laughter as well as their sadness, their love as well as their misery, and for learning to love this frail, endangered, yet still magnificent planet that had borne me safely and in harmony with my road. I had found the essential, if flawed, goodness that resides in everyone, everywhere.

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Put your heart into it

Today marks a day on which many people celebrate Valentine's Day, the current incarnation of "Lupercalia" (The Wolf Festival). I'm still blissfully ignorant as to whether anyone uses the bloody flesh of a goat in their Valentine's Day celebrations, but I do know that society does put a focus on matters of the heart today. (Read my Wolf Festival article, if you're confused about my goat reference.)

Love is a prominent element in human culture. Our bodily systems physiologically reward us by and for the exchange of love. In fact, the neurological system that is keyed to that deep-set physiological response is the limbic system; the same system I find myself absolutely fascinated with in my studies of fear.

Fear and Love are tied very closely physiologically and they both have rippling effects on many other aspects of our lives. In my other psychology-related articles, I've talked about how fear can affect the mind and how we can begin to benefit from our attempts to "experience the challenge" by stepping outside our comfort zone. The comfort zone exists in love as well; in fact, it is love within that defines the boundaries of our comfort zone.

Love manifests itself in the form of many emotions: caring, comfort, empathy, intimacy, safety, security, sharing, and most of all trust. If you invert those emotions, you'll see some that are recognizable as a manifestation of fear or a subset of it: aggravation, danger, doubt, hate, neglect, selfishness, and vulnerability.

Managing and overcoming fear is a significant challenge and a commendable effort and process. Building a loving relationship also presents a similar emotional challenge. Reflecting on my discussion of challenge, you'll remember that I've established that each person's challenges, their fears, are their own. Some people may be challenged by different things than others, but that makes them no more or less significant to the individual facing them.

As we journey through our lives, hopefully savoring every bit of its deliciousness, we have opportunities to face our fears and to find ways to embrace love.

"The best proof of love is trust." -- Dr. Joyce Brothers

Love is not limited to a form shared only between you and a romantic partner. Love is the bond that unites us with those aspects of our life that we value most: people, places, hobbies, pets, our world, everything. Most of all, love is a bond we should build within ourselves. By freeing ourselves from fear and exposing our vulnerability, we are exercising trust. We are giving ourselves and others an opportunity to choose freely what bond they would like to form with us. In so doing, we open our hearts and minds to truly experiencing love.

It takes courage to open your heart and expose your vulnerability and fear, whether those fears are of an experience (heights, depths, enclosed spaces), creatures (spiders, dogs, horses), or relationships (friends, companions, ourselves). Sometimes things won't go the way you hope and you might feel a bit of panic, as you experience the unexpected outcome. However, if we hide away behind our fears, we will never discover the possibilities that await us beyond them. We limit our life and shrink our comfort zone when we give up trust and forfeit our freedom to fear. I invite you to take on the challenge of trust today. Journey inward to discover what love you have locked behind the bars of fear. And, as with any life-fulfilling endeavor, put your heart into it.

Panic, luck, and control

First, I want to admit that I've been putting off writing this article for some time. I didn't put it off because I didn't have any ideas on what to write about the experiences I'll share below, but because I had too many ideas. Usually, I try to plan and schedule when my articles will publish, but today I decided just to sit down and write until I hit the "Publish" button.

I've had a number of experiences this year that have shifted my perspective on the subjects of panic, luck, and control. Before I try to delve into the philosophy behind that shift, I'm going to recount the experiences that have had an impact on molding it. It's important to me that you recognize that I'm sitting here now, writing this; don't worry yourself about the scenarios themselves, that would be missing the point I'm getting at. It's important for me to share the experiences so you can understand what I'll say afterward.

As I said, I've had a number of amazing experiences this year and I look forward to elaborating on them in a future article. Life is full of good and bad experiences. Sometimes even the bad ones can be good, if you learn something. In fact, that's exactly what happened when I ran out of air while scuba diving.

I had been helping another diver who was attempting to demonstrate a shared air ascent to an instructor. When I gave him one of my regulators to use as his air supply, he struggled to get into the right position so that we could do the ascent. He must have been nervous, possibly even a little scared. The instructor eventually signalled him to cease his attempt and signalled me to return to a different position in the water. As I swam toward the new position, I noticed immediately that my regulator felt significantly different. In moments, I felt it jolt as it responded to my breathing. I recognized that jolt instantly; I was out of air. I looked down at my gauges and confirmed that I was empty. It must have happened while I was sharing air, the other diver must have been breathing heavily.

I turned to the instructor and got his attention. I signalled to him that I was out of air. As I did this, my body continued to gasp at my regulator for any air it could get. At that moment, I realized that I could decide how I wanted to respond to this situation. Would I allow myself to panic and break for the surface, risking internal injury by ascending too quickly? Or would I face this challenge and sort out my options?

I decided to choose the latter. I remember letting go of the panic and mentally giving myself time to sort things out. I signalled the instructor again and showed him my gauges. He readied himself to give me an air supply, but signalled me to swim to another diver to share air with her. (I would find out later that he did this so he wouldn't leave any of the student divers beneath without his supervision.)

My body continued to take gasps at nothing. (If any divers are reading this, I want to take a moment to tell you: keep the regulator in ALWAYS, you can NEVER override your body's desire to breathe; it's better to breathe nothing than water.) I swam to the other diver and signalled her that I was out of air. Unfortunately, she didn't realize that it wasn't a drill, so I had to work through the proper technique, all while staring at her regulator and holding back the urge to reach out and take it so I could breathe. (FYI, her secondary supply was part of her BCD.) We got through the signals and she started handing me her regulator and switched to her secondary. As I put the regulator in my mouth, I thought for an instant about clearing it of water, but I wanted to breathe so badly that I just took a breath.

I can now say that I have taken a breath full of water and I can now laugh and tell you that I wish I had cleared the regulator first. However, I now know what it feels like to be out of air underwater and to take a breath of water. Drowning would be a horrible way to die.

Once we swam to the surface, the other diver noticed that I was manually inflating my BCD (for the non-divers: so I could float). She realized then that I was really out of air. Later, she asked me about how I stayed calm under the water; my only answer was that I chose to. Panic would have done nothing to help my situation, I had to work through my options and consider the consequences. I realized that day that I would always have a choice in any situation. That realization would become even more significant when I found myself falling without control on a sky-dive.

I'm in the process of getting my parachuting license; that means a lot of training, logging quite a lot of freefall time, and more than a few solo jumps. I had completed a number of jumps by the time I experienced what I call "my first sketchy sky-dive". I call it "sketchy" because it wasn't "bad", but it certainly didn't go as planned. I say "first" because I'm certain that I'll have at least one more "sketchy" jump in the future; I don't want to have another, but I'm sure going to prepare as if I will.

Many lessons require students to demonstrate certain skills. During this jump I had to demonstrate some easy turns and docking/undocking with an instructor. My first turn went alright, but I cut too hard on my second turn and ended up on my back. I dropped quite a way while on my back, but regained control and checked my altitude. My instructor caught up and I again tried to complete my skills. I turned over again; this time I was on my back and almost head down. Every 5 seconds of freefall is about 1000 feet (30 meters). I struggled to regain control, but couldn't reposition myself. I was counting in my head as I fell; I needed to decide if I should stop trying to regain position and just deploy my canopy. I looked at my altimeter and realized that I was well below my ideal deployment altitude.

I started to reach back to deploy my 'chute. Somehow my instructor managed to catch up to me and grabbed my harness. He and I were eye-to-eye. He gave me the "pull" signal (meaning, deploy your parachute now!). I nodded and mouthed the word "pull", my hand already in place. (Later, he and I would laugh together at the expression on my face when he first grabbed me; it was a combination of "Where did you come from?" and "Holy $#!T!")

I deployed my canopy and attempted to look up at it to make sure it was "flyable". I couldn't look up. My head was being forced downward by something. I reached up and felt my risers (straps connected to the canopy) crossed behind my head. The canopy was flying backward due to my inverted deployment, I was facing the wrong way. I pushed my head beneath the risers, tried to get them to uncross. Nothing. I bounced up and down in my harness, to shake things into position. Nothing. I knew I should only try once more before cutting my main and switching to my reserve 'chute. I gave the risers the biggest shake I could manage; I pulled up on them like I wanted to climb out of my harness. They uncrossed! I was finally facing the right direction; my canopy was flyable.

As I thought through my experience, I noted that there had been no panic in my mind (on my face, maybe, but that was just funny to look at). I did what I had to do to regain control of the situation. I'd like to note that after I completed my landing and reviewed the errors (and excitement!) of my jump with my instructor, I decided to go up again on the next flight and I passed that lesson successfully.

I've spent a number of months thinking about these experiences (and others that are related, both positive and negative). There are many times in our lives that we try to control everything. We build entire industries around "giving" people control of some thing or some situation. In reality, we only ever have control of ourselves, our own minds; anything else external to that is circumstance.

Some people have said that I'm "lucky" in these situations. Others have said that it's all just "risk management". I somewhat disagree with both. Even though some of it comes down to chance and there is, of course, a lot of planning and prevention, it all comes down to how you face the situation when it occurs. Will you panic and leave it all to chance? Will you pretend that you control everything? Or will you take each situation as it presents itself, trust your instincts AND your training, lean into the challenge, and know that the moment you're in is the moment you've been living for your entire life?

When all you have is a few moments left in life, your priorities and focus become clear. You wonder why you wasted time on meaningless things and how you can make the right kind of choices in the future. You see, we don't second-guess the things we can't control; we second-guess ourselves. As I took my gasps of nothing or when I watched the sky fall away, I didn't think about blame or control, I only thought "if only...".

I have always loved my children and I greatly appreciate many people who are a part of my life, but I didn't share that gratitude until I recognized how special every moment is with them. Now, I try to let someone know what something means to me, even the smallest thank you is important. We have so much choice within ourselves; we can control the kindness and love that we share. Feeling stress about non-life-threatening situations, worrying about other people's opinions, accumulating things without purpose; it's all so empty. I choose to value the people in my life, I choose to make every moment significant. If I trust my instincts and training, face my challenges, and accept every moment as significant, then I will never think "if only..." again. Life isn't about panic, luck, and control; it's about love, respect, and trust.

Experience the challenge

I sometimes hear people remark at some of my adventures saying, "I could never do that." However, it's said that one person's heaven is another person's hell. I think every individual faces different challenges throughout life, as unique as the individual encountering them. In fact, we frequently see that not everyone considers the same things a "challenge". Afterall, what is a "challenge" really?

The word challenge carries many connotations. It could mean a call to action, a defiant stance, or even an expressed disagreement. However, there is another definition of the word "challenge" which stands out among the rest:

challenge - A test of one's abilities or resources in a demanding but stimulating undertaking.

That definition¹ reveals the internal struggle faced during a "challenge", whereas the others address only the external conflict. I think every challenge contains a component of that internal struggle, demanding some greater effort than is natural.

I once heard a climbing instructor illustrate the concept of challenge in a unique way. He drew two large concentric circles on the ground. Standing at the center of the circles, he explained that within the smaller circle was the "comfort zone"; a mind-set in which we feel safe and relaxed. He then stepped out of the smaller circle and into the next larger one. He pointed to the line of the outer circle and said that it represented the limits of safety, beyond that outer circle was the "danger zone". He then pointed to where he stood, within that outer circle, advising that he wanted the climbers mind-sets to stay there that day: outside their comfort zone, but within the realm of safety.

His demonstration touches on concepts studied in behavioral psychology. The "comfort zone" being a state in which a person is "anxiety-neutral". The "danger zone" being a state in which a person is reckless, where they are certain to injure themselves physically, mentally, or emotionally. It should be noted that dwelling, for a time, in the area between the two can be surprisingly advantageous.

In performance management studies, the zone between comfort and danger is called the "optimal performance zone". Beyond the comfort zone, the body's natural stress response enables a heightened level of concentration and focus. If the stress level is too high, a person has entered the danger zone and performance worsens and judgement is impaired. "The objective of the trainer or manager is to cause the person to enter the optimum performance zone for a sufficient period of time so that new skills and performance can be achieved and become embedded."²

So, a challenge can be sighted as anything which triggers a "stress response". Many people, such as myself, love the adrenaline rush of something new and exciting which pushes the body's physical limits. However, I don't consider those experiences my challenges. You see, I don't fear those experiences, I crave them and find comfort in them. Climbing a mountain, jumping out of a plane, camping in subzero weather; I find those experiences calming and familiar. I don't feel tested by them, I feel at ease. I've come to recognize that my challenges are internal.

The struggles I face come from within. Maintaining a healthy life-balance, cultivating friendships (not just acquaintanceship), silencing my self-doubt, and trusting the support of others when I feel vulnerable. It's extremely difficult for me to even list some of those points. For some, my challenges might seem small and simple, but the stress is very real for me and the fear can be undeniable. The good news is that I recognize that those struggles as my challenges.

For some time now, as has been noted in other articles, I have been focusing my energy on stepping out of my comfort zone and experiencing the challenges I encounter within. To be honest, it has not been an easy process. Were it easy, it would mean that I wasn't in that "optimal performance zone" of personal change and internal balance. So, when someone comments with amazement on something I do, I thank them and take a moment to compliment them on the things they do which I admire and find challenging.

We each have things which test our abilities and push us beyond the limits of our comfort. What I find comfortable may be unnerving for others. When I sense myself internally leaving my comfort zone, I consciously make an effort to evaluate what is triggering my stress and work through my fear. Regularly recognizing my challenges and stepping out of my comfort zone has become a significant "centering" exercise. It is also important to know and become with familiar with the limits of your zones.

During a avalanche awareness and training course, my instructor warned us that "problems occur when desire overcomes discretion". He was referring to the reduction in clear thinking when we become too focused on a specific goal or reward. We begin to ignore warning signs that we would otherwise recognize, if we kept a clear head. That's a serious problem, especially in life-threatening situation; that is when we have entered the danger zone. It's important to carefully evaluate the limits of a situation and define where the optimal performance zone ends and the danger zone begins.

While it's true that life is not measured by the breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away, it's equally paramount to find a balance that allows you to keep breathing. Become aware of your challenges, embrace them as an opportunity to improve. Admire the heroes who find comfort facing the things you find difficult, show gratitude and offer encouragement to those who fear what you face. Remember, every person is a hero for facing the challenges they encounter in life.

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¹ Challenge - The Free Dictionary
² "Comfort Zone" - Wikipedia

Review: The Flinch

The Flinch by Julien Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Flinch was an entertaining and enriching book and I am glad to have read it. I really enjoyed the light, fast-paced, and fun style of Julien Smith.

I have touched on the subject of fear in my blog and I had planned to circle back again to it again. The Flinch gave me some new inspiration, physiological experiments, and a different perspective for a familiar topic.

I enjoyed the book enough to devour its entire contents in one sitting. I like to imagine that Smith had originally written more, taking us further beyond the comfort of everyday, but the editors simply flinched.

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INDY Poll: What do you fear?

On Wednesday, you read how to begin overcoming your fear(s) in the "Groundhog Day 2011" post. Along that same line, this INDY Poll asks, "What do you fear?"

List items inspired by "10 Common Phobias" - About.com

I'm trying out a new method of handling the INDY Polls by using BlogPolls.com. Hopefully, this will allow me to automate and simplify the release of the polls and better manage the results.

Groundhog Day 2011

It's hard to agree that Spring has arrived when the temperature is currently -20°C (4°F) in my town of Fort Collins, Colorado, but today both fact and tradition say it is so. Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow today which confirms the fact that today is a cross-quarter day¹ and therefore the start of Spring.

This year, I encourage you to shed the burden of your fears and journey forward toward your goals in the adventure of Life. We often weigh ourselves down with trepidation about the decisions we make. Today, challenge the root of those fears, whether they are minor doubts or massive phobias.

Don't expect yourself to overcome fear with one thought or intention; recognize the challenge that you must face every time you feel the angst set in. Slowly, every time you "face your demon", the fear will dissipate.

Now, let me offer you some tools with which to defy your misgivings:

- Introspection: Identify the root fear(s). The root fear is the one on which you should focus your attention.
Is it truly a fear of heights (vertigo) or the fear of falling? What, specifically, does and doesn't scare you about spiders? What causes the nervousness you feel in front of "crowds"?

- Acceptance: Once you identify the root fear, teach yourself to accept and acknowledge that you currently have this fear. Do not give power to the fear by pretending it doesn't exist. We all have fears, true strength will come from owning yours.

- Understanding: Delve into the root fear. During (or after) an experience causing fear, feel the symptoms of the fear on your mind. Understand what happens to you when your fear takes hold. (e.g. tightness of the chest, dizziness, weak knees, sweaty palms, blurred vision, etc.)

- Treat the symptoms: Begin by counter-acting the symptoms. For example: take a deep breath when you feel your chest tighten (recognize you can breathe); steady yourself on a stationary object (get your balance); bend your knees slightly and straighten your spine (acknowledge your posture); dry your hands with a cloth or chalk; close your eyes briefly and think of the next object you will look at.

- Knowledge: Learn all you can about your fear; study the facts, determine the reality. Knowing the truth will completely eliminate in fears based on false or misunderstood concerns.

- Anticipate: Take steps to prevent any cause of the root fear; "safety first". For example, if you fear falling, secure your footing, grip, or attach yourself to safety rigging (harness, ropes, etc.). Double check your prevention, to put your mind at ease; show yourself that "it works".

- Trust: Have faith in the steps you have taken to protect yourself from your fear. (Self-doubt is sometimes attributed to "[c]hildhood experiences, these traditions maintain, [and] can plant doubt about one's abilities and even about one's very identity." ["Doubt" - Wikipedia].)

- Engage: Actively address your fear when you experience it. Using all that you have learned and the precautions you have taken, directly challenge your fear. Mentally process and counter any thoughts with the facts you have learned. Treat any symptoms and assure yourself of your safety.

It is natural to feel fear, but some fears are unnatural. Set your goals, challenge your world-view, but respect your limits.

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¹ Reference "Cross-quarter day" [wikipedia], previously discussed on "Groundhog Day 2008" [INDY Blog].