Understanding Fear as a Survival Mechanism
Fear is a decision of the mind. It does not appear out of the blue and it is not something completely uncalculated or uncontrollable. Fear arises as a result of reasoning, when the brain receives certain data, analyzes it, and then alerts the body to activate the fear response. One of the most common triggers for fear is incomplete reasoning. For example, someone suddenly scares with a loud, close noise. Hearing detects the sound and sends it to the rational brain for decoding, which must quickly make a decision.
In that immediate moment, there was some awareness of what was happening nearby, but there was no anticipation of a loud noise. The brain’s response becomes: “I do not know what this is.” As a result, the survival system is activated and fear appears. This response is also influenced by the intensity of the noise, which demands a rapid reaction. If the noise were soft or distant, there would be more time to think and identify it. Because the sound is strong and sudden, fear is triggered to accelerate the heartbeat, filling the muscles with oxygen, preparing them for effort and tensing them.
How Fear Changes the Body
The brain is flooded with oxygen to process information faster and more efficiently. To increase oxygen intake quickly, breathing shifts from the nose to the mouth. At the same time, the stomach stops digestion and bowel movements, tightening to protect the internal organs and to free up energy for powerful and rapid effort. Vision becomes sharper at the edges of the visual field, and in the central focus area it becomes extremely clear and tense. All these changes represent a complete preparation for both fight and flight, a full survival preparation.
From this perspective, fear is not bad in itself but extremely useful. However, social conditioning and manipulation have often presented fear as something negative, unworthy, or shameful. To better understand its role, it can be described as the survival instinct instead of fear. Everywhere the word fear appears, it can be replaced with: the survival instinct was activated by accelerating the heartbeat, temporarily blocking digestion, sharpening vision, and preparing the body for action.
Fear, Survival Instinct, and Human Society
Described in this way, it sounds more acceptable and even admirable. This is how human society often works through subtle manipulation: by labeling fear as weakness instead of recognizing it as a vital survival instinct. Fear is not an enemy but a powerful ally when understood and managed consciously.
A person without fear, standing next to someone while a grizzly bear suddenly appears on the path, will not necessarily be in a better position. That person might calmly look at the bear and start evaluating what to do, losing precious seconds. During that time, the person whose survival instinct is already activated will be testing personal speed limits, running as far away from the bear as possible. This is what fear does: it makes the body faster, more reactive, and maximally strong in critical moments.
Problems with anxiety and fear do not appear when there is a correct, healthy fear with real, objective causes. Difficulties arise from imbalances – when there is either too much fear or, on the contrary, too little fear in relation to the actual situation. This is the moment when the rational brain needs to intervene. The rational brain needs clear data, analyzes information and evaluates real danger, helping to distinguish between realistic fear and imagined threats.
For example, the sudden appearance of a bear immediately confirms that fear is a natural and correct reaction, because there is a real threat to safety. On the other hand, if an aggressive bird flies toward a person, this can often be an unjustified or exaggerated fear. Why? Because with a simple defensive gesture, such as waving an arm or pushing it away, the bird will usually fly off. And if it continues to insist, it can be removed or scared away without real danger to life or health.
A very common cause of this kind of erroneous decision is lack of self-confidence and lack of trust in one’s own ability to manage the situation. Just as often, there is also an incorrect association with past experiences – for instance, a childhood event when a bird attack caused intense fear or trauma. Although no event is ever repeated in exactly the same way, memory tends to react as if the person were still small and vulnerable. It is essential to consciously manage these memories, to recognize personal growth, and to understand that both the body and the mind have developed and are now better equipped to cope with real danger and reduce irrational fear.
Fear is not only a reaction; it is also a choice that can be activated or deactivated. This process begins in the brain. When the rational part of the brain is engaged, the intensity of fear naturally decreases. One of the simplest and most effective ways to activate the rational brain and calm the survival instinct is to breathe slowly and consciously through the nose.
Nasal breathing gently regulates the flow of oxygen, helping to prevent the rapid acceleration of thoughts that triggers the fight-or-flight response. Instead of spiraling into anxiety or panic, the mind remains more focused on analysis, logic, and rational decision-making. This simple breathing technique supports emotional regulation, reduces stress, and promotes a calmer nervous system.
Another key element in managing fear and anxiety is the sense of smell. Smell is the only sense processed directly in the central lobe, the area responsible for rational thinking and higher cognitive functions. By consciously engaging the sense of smell, the brain shifts attention away from the overstimulating senses of sight and hearing, which often amplify emotional reactions, stress, and anxious thoughts.
In childhood, closing the eyes when feeling afraid was an instinctive way to reduce visual stimulation and calm the mind. The eyes are powerful emotional accelerators: they sharpen focus but can also create a sense of confusion, dizziness, or overwhelm, especially in stressful situations. By limiting visual input, the brain can slow down, helping fear to subside and restoring a sense of inner stability.
These natural strategies for reducing fear—nasal breathing, engaging the sense of smell, and limiting visual stimulation—have often been present since early childhood, even if they were not consciously understood. Remembering and intentionally using them now can transform the way fear, stress, and anxiety are handled in daily life. Regular practice of simple breathing exercises, especially through the nose, reinforces healthier patterns in the brain and supports long-term emotional balance, mental clarity, and overall well-being.
Breathing exercises
Breathing exercises for fear, stress and panic
Breathing exercises are simple techniques that use conscious breathing to calm fear, reduce stress and prevent panic attacks. It may seem strange to “learn how to breathe”, because breathing happens all day long without effort. However, in moments of intense fear, the body reacts automatically and breathing becomes fast, shallow and difficult to control.
Why breathing through the nose alone is not enough during fear
When the fear impulse is triggered and everything feels urgent – now! now! now! – breathing through the nose alone often becomes hard to manage. The body feels as if there is not enough oxygen and a sensation of suffocation appears. Breathing through the mouth starts to appear naturally, and there is an inner struggle to keep breathing only through the nose. This struggle increases anxiety and makes breathing feel even more out of control.
Step-by-step breathing exercise to calm the body
A simple and effective breathing exercise for fear and anxiety works as follows:
Inhale slowly through the nose and exhale through the mouth while counting to 3.
Repeat this pattern three times: inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth, counting to 3.
On the fourth breath, inhale and exhale completely through the mouth.
Then start again with the set of inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth while counting to 3.
Through this controlled rhythm, the body gradually calms down. The breathing pattern becomes a way to regain control over physical reactions and to allow the body to do only what is consciously permitted. Even when breathing only through the mouth for 2 or 3 counted breaths, it remains a deliberate, controlled release of tension.
Key phrase and mental focus during breathing
For every inhalation, exhalation and counting method, it is helpful to establish a key phrase. For example, while counting, repeat silently in the mind: only breathing matters. This sentence supports focus and reminds that, in that moment, survival and calm depend only on breathing here and now.
Separately, the mind needs to be cleared of other thoughts and directed entirely toward the key phrase and the rhythm of breathing. With regular training, both concentration and the duration of the exercise improve. The breathing cycle is repeated as many times as necessary until the body and mind calm down.
How often to repeat the breathing exercise
In situations of intense fear, it may take 20–30 sets of this breathing exercise to regain control. The important benefit is that, by practicing this way, the likelihood of a panic attack is greatly reduced. Without a large and rapid volume of uncontrolled oxygen intake, a full panic attack cannot easily be triggered.
With time, consistent practice and repetition of these breathing exercises, fear becomes more manageable, and even in extreme situations it is possible to maintain control and restore calm more quickly.
A short summary
A short, practical summary of this emotional management technique can be useful for handling fear, stress and anxiety. When fear or anxiety starts to surround and overwhelm, close the eyes and focus on the sense of smell. Notice the scent in the environment and clearly name the smell that is detected. After this first step, if the fear is still strong, apply the breathing system until it becomes possible to return to activating and observing the smell again. This simple sequence helps calm the nervous system, reduce anxiety and is a way to control instinctive reactions through conscious rationality and mindful awareness.
Emotions can be explored in more depth to understand how emotional regulation works. Emotions are often grouped into positive and negative categories. Among the negative emotions are fear, sadness, anger, jealousy and guilt. Among the positive emotions are love, joy, hope, gratitude and enthusiasm. Some emotions, such as curiosity and restlessness, are more neutral because they are transient; they signal that more information is needed before making a decision and invite reflection rather than immediate action.
There are many detailed lists of emotions available on the internet, each describing specific feelings, and together they form a fairly large and complex emotional spectrum. What truly matters is what all emotions have in common: they can make the heart beat faster, they can trigger memories (pleasant or painful), and they are all worth experiencing, even the most difficult ones such as terror or panic. After facing and overcoming intense emotions, an added sense of confidence, inner strength and emotional resilience appears.
Confronting emotions becomes easier after the first encounters. It is often said that only the first hundred encounters are truly hard; after that, things become simpler because experience has been gained. With time, it becomes like a veteran who has fought many inner battles with the most powerful fears and has managed to overcome them. This inner work is worthy of respect. It is part of being human, evolving emotionally and mentally, strengthening mental health and eventually being ready to say: let’s go with the next opponent.
Hyperglycemia, i.e. increased glucose concentration in the blood and urine (glycosuria) above normal limits. Daily insulin doses can be reduced after long-term treatment with medicinal plants or teas only after medical laboratory tests have been performed.
Plants with weakly alkaline, anti-inflammatory, healing and soothing active principles are recommended. Infusions and decoctions are usually drunk unsweetened and preferably between meals.
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The search
The impact of fear on thoughts, habits and trauma
After the first intense sensations fade, a new stage begins: the search for answers and the need to understand why the experience appeared in the first place. The way the questions are formulated can either deepen the trauma or open the mind and release it from limiting beliefs. A frequent reaction is to erase everything, to label the experience as too intense, too dangerous or too violent and to decide that nothing similar will ever be lived again. This decision activates a powerful protection system that is reinforced day after day through small, repetitive habits. Over time, only the rigid habit remains, together with the fear of breaking it, while the original reason is forgotten and no longer seems rational or relevant.
A common example is the fear of hunger and the anxiety that appears when a meal might be skipped. At some point, there may have been a demanding project that required many days of continuous work, from morning to night, with meals neglected and postponed. From physical and mental exhaustion, dizziness appeared, followed by fainting. Waking up terrified, a new inner rule was created: not a single day should pass without eating. Gradually, this rule turned into a fear of skipping any meal, no matter the context. This is how the mental association is formed in which missing a meal automatically generates fear, even if the initial cause is no longer remembered. Rationally, a day without food does not necessarily create physical problems. On the contrary, intermittent fasting is associated with proven health benefits and is consciously chosen in many personal development and health practices.
Identifying the first fear and the origin of limiting beliefs
There are countless examples of how fear silently shapes behavior, but the essential step is the personal exploration of life experiences to discover the initial factors that generated faulty reasoning. This becomes the first stage of inner work: recognizing the first fear. It is important to understand where the reasoning started, how it was built and what promise was made as a result of that fear. In most cases, the promise has a similar form: something will never be done again, a situation will never be repeated, a risk will never be taken.
The process involves browsing through memories and bringing to the surface all the moments marked by fear. Each experience is then recalled in detail, as if the scene were unfolding again. The complete memory is reconstructed: what happened, what was seen, the colors, the light, the smells, as well as the events before and after the key moment. The self is observed as a character in a movie, from the outside. The analysis includes what was felt, how the reaction unfolded and what physical symptoms the fear produced. Every detail becomes a clue that contributes to understanding the origin of the emotional response and the way in which the belief was formed and anchored in everyday life.
Following the promise over time and understanding behavior
After reviewing the experience in detail, the next stage is to follow, over time, how the initial promise to stop doing something has evolved. It becomes important to see what was added to that inner decision, how the promise was modified, amplified and extended to other situations or behaviors. By following this thread to the end, clarity appears regarding the real reason why certain activities are avoided, why some opportunities are rejected or why other actions seem impossible to start. This conscious search reveals the subtle connection between past fear, current habits and the hidden rules that guide everyday life, opening the possibility for new choices and more authentic behavior.
It is useful
Practical steps for facing “forbidden” activities
It is useful, when it feels difficult to repeat a certain activity, to first find another similar activity and imagine that it is actually the one considered forbidden. This mental exercise prepares the mind for change. The final step is to consciously confront exactly the activity that has been labeled as forbidden. To do this effectively, it is important to remember two key ideas:
Nothing is ever exactly the same again; every experience is unique in time, context, and emotional state.
The experience has already been lived once and, even if it was painful or difficult, it was survived.
Finding the mental thread behind fear and avoidance
Each stage of this inner work can be challenging, and often the hardest part is to find the original mental thread that started everything, especially when many years have passed and multiple layers of thoughts, beliefs, and justifications have been built on top of one another.
Identifying habits that limit freedom
To discover what needs attention, it is necessary to look at the areas where there is a sense of being trapped. These are often everyday activities that quietly restrict freedom and reinforce hidden fears. A useful approach is to:
Observe common, automatic activities that are repeated every day.
For a few days, deliberately interrupt one of these habits and notice what appears in its place.
If there are fears or emotional dependencies hidden beneath a habit, they become visible very quickly when the routine is interrupted. For example, if there is a habit of drinking coffee every morning, it can be paused for 2–3 days without using any substitute. Or if the usual evening routine is watching TV, the TV can remain off for 3–4 days in a row.
Turning experiences into useful data
All these small experiments and experiences bring valuable answers. These answers are, in fact, data that can be used for deeper self-knowledge and personal development. The more data is gathered, the more accurate, nuanced, and complete the inner reasoning becomes, supporting healthier decisions and more conscious behavior.
Why some events hurt deeply and others pass unnoticed
Through this process, it becomes clearer why one event can be experienced as deeply traumatic while another, apparently similar, passes almost unnoticed. The difference often lies in what is allowed to remain in the mind. When an experience is kept alive through constant inner repetition and the decision “I will never do that again,” it becomes an altar of remembrance. Remembering in this way means that fear is kept locked inside and never truly released.
Inner analysis helps reveal where that fear comes from, how it first appeared, and what beliefs and behaviors have been built on top of it over time. After this exploration, what remains can be consciously faced. Often it becomes clear that there is no real need to confront the situation in the same way anymore, because the motivations and mental thread have already been understood.
However, this final step is important for the subconscious mind. It is a way of proving that the old, distorted idea has been removed, that the reasoning has been corrected, and that the former altar of remembrance no longer exists. Once this inner proof is established, the fear can be released and the experience can finally be forgotten, allowing more emotional freedom and inner peace.
The last stage that must be completed, either before or after facing fear, is the moment of self-forgiveness. This step is essential because, by following a logical thread through personal analysis and the habits formed over time, a clear conclusion appears: what a fool I was. Because of this fear, many experiences could not be fully enjoyed. While life was offering opportunities and inviting participation, the mind was focused on fear, constantly expecting something bad to happen.
It is true: something was voluntarily given up, and an entire life was built around the idea of not fully enjoying any experience in order to avoid reliving trauma. The word “trauma” appears in the singular, but in reality it is rarely just one. Once this inner structure of fear and avoidance is erected, it is repeated in other difficult situations. In this way, it becomes very easy for all decisions to be made based on what should not be done. This is how stages of complete negativism appear, when every decision is frightening because it might lead back into one of the many negative and painful patterns already recorded.
This is why self-forgiveness is necessary and why a new beginning must be allowed. Whether or not the exact thread of fear that generated the trauma is found, it is important that from the moment of this new beginning no new fear is added. Every situation and every line of reasoning needs to be observed, and whenever fear appears, the feeling is allowed to pass without building anything on top of it and without letting it define identity.
If this is done consistently, the old self remains the same, while the new self becomes stronger with each lived experience. At some point, this new, healed version becomes so strong that the old self, shaped by fear and trauma, seems small and insignificant.
Patience, time and an open heart toward life’s experiences are among the most effective remedies for healing fear and trauma. They lead to the moment when time is no longer felt as an enemy that passes by, but as a quiet ally that passes in one’s favor, supporting growth, emotional recovery and inner peace.