It has been said that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. You have a wonderful opportunity to learn about this important aspect of EQ (your emotional quotient) and how you can improve your EQ and advance your ability to interact with others more effectively. Remember to take a look at our first ever on-line course on EQ which starts September 15th. Sign up now for early registration discounts.

There are two emotions that can cause the longest and most detrimental issues and concerns for many people. Let’s look at one, FEAR.

It’s common for individuals to have very different reactions to similar circumstances. An exciting challenge for one person may be a very stressful event for another. For example, the idea of white water rafting may sound like an exciting opportunity to some, while it sounds terrifying to others.

Fear is an intense emotion that is experienced in the presence of a real or perceived threat. It is a natural survival response that prepares us to face danger. Our bodies can’t distinguish an emotional experience of feeling threatened from an imminent physical danger, so when we are fearful, we have a physical response. This physical response to fear can hamper our higher thinking abilities, making it difficult to think clearly. It’s important that we are aware when we are feeling fear so we can make good decisions about how to proceed.

Fear is a necessary survival response that alerts us to take action. Fear and the automatic physiological reactions it causes sharpens reactions. It is an urgent early warning signal that you need to think, assess and respond with care. Emotions are categorized as either comfortable or uncomfortable feelings. When there are too many emotions, Emotional Flooding occurs and your access to the rational thinking part of your brain is restricted. This can happen even when the flooding is with a comfortable emotion.

When we feel threatened emotionally, even when we know that we are not in imminent physical danger, our bodies cannot distinguish an emotional threat from a real threat to our physical safety. Fear becomes a problem when we don’t have the Emotional Intelligence (EQ) skills to interrupt and shift our mood long enough to make good decisions about how to proceed. If the fear response happens often and intensely, our emotional temperature can stay elevated, which interferes with our ability to think and interact effectively. Fear’s effect on the brain can linger, continually interfering with our ability to make good decisions.

Fear is triggered in many ways, but there are always some signals such as:
• body temperature rises
• heart racing
• muscles tense
• worry
• anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness or unease usually based on fear of an imminent event or an uncertain outcome. It can cloud thinking making it difficult to take action. Anxiety often results from not having enough information, having too much information or from experiencing a lack of control. It is rooted in fear, and if it is chronic, it can disturb the use of cognitive abilities such as problem solving, decision making and memory access. Prolonged anxiety can result in even more anxiety which interferes with the thought processes needed to effect meaningful change.

Managing Fear essentially starts with the first dimension in Emotional Intelligence (EQ) which is Self-Awareness. Yes, go back to the first foundational skill and look at YOU. One way to begin to build your Self-Awareness and work on conquering Fear is to ask yourself, what can I use right now to shift my mood?

With well-developed Emotional Intelligence (EQ) skills, you can learn to disarm FEAR before it disarms you. Do you want to learn a proven technique to help you disarm Fear?

Sign up for the VIRTUAL Emotional Intelligence course beginning September 15, 2016. The sessions are on-line for one hour every week for ten weeks and include taking an on-line EQ assessment. Seating is limited and there are discounts for early registration. The link below provides more information.

Register Now

QUESTIONS? Contact us at info@hpisolutions.com