How busy are our brains? The Neuro Imaging Lab at U.S.C. reported that we have up to 70,000 thoughts per day, or 48.6 thoughts per minute.  That’s a lot of action!

We can process only a fraction of the information that bombards us daily. The rest is filtered out.  I wonder … What part did we select for processing?  And what part(s) are we ignoring?

We have an attention filter to help us sort things out  We pay attention to things that fit our dramatic instincts, and ignore information that does not. 

This filtering keeps us from drowning in information overload – but it comes with risk.  If we’re not careful, we may start to see the uncommon as common: a distorted view that this is what reality looks like.

Scary’ and ‘dangerous’ are very different things.  One is a perceived risk – the other is real. Minds that are filled with fear have less room for facts. 

Things seem scarier than they are because our own attention filters have selected our knowledge. Paying too much attention to fear drains us. 

We can find our balance again if we pause to recognize when frightening things have seized our attention, and remember (in that moment) that these things are not necessarily dangerous. We need to seek facts about our issues – unhampered by our emotions.

Real risk depends upon how dangerous something is, and how much we are exposed to it – NOT on how scared it makes us feel. 

When we’re afraid, the world looks and feels different. We may feel weak or powerless. Here are a few ideas that may be helpful.

1. I can remind myself that perception and reality are different things, and that while the emotions of fear are real, the need for it may not be.
2. I can take a deep breath and remember that negative (scary) stuff does exist But ‘good stuff’ still exists too, and I can’t let my vision become so focused on ‘unusual drama’ that I miss the beauty of the ordinary. (For example: Forty million commercial air flights landed safely in 2016 – with only ten fatal accidents. Headlines proclaimed the ten. I need to ask questions, and remind myself of the true proportion of danger.)
3. If fear overwhelms my thoughts, I know that it changes my ability to see and think clearly.  I can lower my risk of poor outcomes by choosing to make as few decisions as possible until the panic is gone.

When fear get’s my attention, I need to stop, recognize it, and send up a prayer. God says … “perfect love casts out fear.”  His perfect love will not judge me for my weakness.  Instead, my weakness becomes a perfect display for His strength, as He sees me through the storm.  That’s the best ‘positive’!

Blessings, Love and Laughter to you,

Margaret