FEAR

 I wanted to address fear as a definite part of dealing with muscular dystrophy.   Fear is something that everyone with a major disease deals with.  So, I thought it would be important to bring it up as an important issue. 

The doctors informed me that I had a type of muscular dystrophy. They were not sure what kind it was but it was a definite diagnosis.  It would be necessary to get my affairs in order. Basically, I had just been given a death sentence, along with pain and suffering.

Then the fear arrived!  How do I tell my wife?  I know she will be saddened and hurt.  That was the last thing that I wanted was to hurt her.  So, I had a major dose of fear how I would tell my wife.  My next thought was that this cannot be true (denial).  Yes, doctors are wrong all the time, which is what I told myself.

Then I thought what will happen to my family!    That is when the fear set in again, I was depressed and fearful for what would happen to my family and ultimately to me.  It would be a situation that I did not have control.  Now that was a very trying and difficult day!

So, there are many forms of fear!  I have probably experienced many of them.  Here are a few that I have experienced!

·         Fear of telling a loved one

·         Fear of the unknown

·         Fear of failure

·         Fear of dying

·         Fear of being a burden to family members

·         Fear of a loss of control

As time goes on I will cover each one.  I have learned to minimize fear, as it does not help anyone.  Everyone has fears; the difference is what you do with those fears.  Don’t let them continue to grind you down.  The way to tackle fear is to accept the facts, then take action to minimize the potential impacts.

SUMMARY:

Fear is a very difficult emotion to overcome.  I would suggest researching release techniques and watching videos on the subject on www.youtube.com. 

It may take a number of repetitions before you improve so it will be well worth it.  Also, you may have to do a number of different methods.  These fears have been ingrained in us since childhood it may take some time.

Here is quote from Theodore Roosevelt on taking the office of President during the Great Depression.   “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is…fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”