• About USA Carry
  • Advertise
  • Contact
WIN A FREE GUN? ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY
USA Carry
  • Home
  • Concealed Carry Resources
    • Concealed Carry Permit Information By State
      • A-E
        • Alabama
        • Alaska
        • American Samoa
        • Arizona
        • Arkansas
        • California
        • Colorado
        • Connecticut
        • Delaware
      • F-J
        • Florida
        • Georgia
        • Guam
        • Hawaii
        • Idaho
        • Illinois
        • Indiana
        • Iowa
      • K-M
        • Kansas
        • Kentucky
        • Louisiana
        • Maine
        • Maryland
        • Massachusetts
        • Michigan
        • Minnesota
        • Mississippi
        • Missouri
        • Montana
      • N-O
        • Nebraska
        • Nevada
        • New Hampshire
        • New Jersey
        • New Mexico
        • New York
        • North Carolina
        • North Dakota
        • Northern Marianas
        • Ohio
        • Oklahoma
        • Oregon
      • P-U
        • Pennsylvania
        • Puerto Rico
        • Rhode Island
        • South Carolina
        • South Dakota
        • Tennessee
        • Texas
        • Utah
      • V-Z
        • Vermont
        • Virgin Islands
        • Virginia
        • Washington
        • Washington D.C.
        • West Virginia
        • Wisconsin
        • Wyoming
    • Concealed Carry Permit Reciprocity Maps
    • Concealed Carry Permit Examples
  • Articles
    • Concealed Carry
    • Reviews
    • Defensive Gun Use Stories
    • Training
    • CCW For Women
    • General Firearm
    • Open Carry
    • Self-Defense
    • Survival
    • EDC
    • Home Defense
  • Forums
  • Directory
    • Firearm Instructors
    • Gun Ranges
    • Gun Stores
    • Gunsmiths
    • Gun Clubs
  • Giveaway
  • Store
  • Deals
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Concealed Carry Resources
    • Concealed Carry Permit Information By State
      • A-E
        • Alabama
        • Alaska
        • American Samoa
        • Arizona
        • Arkansas
        • California
        • Colorado
        • Connecticut
        • Delaware
      • F-J
        • Florida
        • Georgia
        • Guam
        • Hawaii
        • Idaho
        • Illinois
        • Indiana
        • Iowa
      • K-M
        • Kansas
        • Kentucky
        • Louisiana
        • Maine
        • Maryland
        • Massachusetts
        • Michigan
        • Minnesota
        • Mississippi
        • Missouri
        • Montana
      • N-O
        • Nebraska
        • Nevada
        • New Hampshire
        • New Jersey
        • New Mexico
        • New York
        • North Carolina
        • North Dakota
        • Northern Marianas
        • Ohio
        • Oklahoma
        • Oregon
      • P-U
        • Pennsylvania
        • Puerto Rico
        • Rhode Island
        • South Carolina
        • South Dakota
        • Tennessee
        • Texas
        • Utah
      • V-Z
        • Vermont
        • Virgin Islands
        • Virginia
        • Washington
        • Washington D.C.
        • West Virginia
        • Wisconsin
        • Wyoming
    • Concealed Carry Permit Reciprocity Maps
    • Concealed Carry Permit Examples
  • Articles
    • Concealed Carry
    • Reviews
    • Defensive Gun Use Stories
    • Training
    • CCW For Women
    • General Firearm
    • Open Carry
    • Self-Defense
    • Survival
    • EDC
    • Home Defense
  • Forums
  • Directory
    • Firearm Instructors
    • Gun Ranges
    • Gun Stores
    • Gunsmiths
    • Gun Clubs
  • Giveaway
  • Store
  • Deals
No Result
View All Result
USA Carry
No Result
View All Result
Home Articles Self-Defense

Dealing with Fear, Part One: Living in the Moment

Sean Holt by Sean Holt
April 22, 2022
in Articles, Self-Defense
0
Dealing with Fear, Part One: Living in the Moment
0
SHARES
272
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

“I must not fear.

Fear is the mind-killer.

Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.

I will face my fear.

I will permit it to pass over me and through me.

And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.

Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”

The Litany Against Fear, from Dune by Frank Herbert

Whether you enjoy literary science fiction or not, Dune‘s Litany contains some profound wisdom for self-defense. Fear, while a valid emotion in many contexts, can be paralyzing when action is required and disorienting when you need a clear head. However, coping with fear is not a matter of simply denying it; we have to cope. This is the first of a two-part series. Here we’ll talk about how to deal with fear before and during a self-defense situation. In the second part, we’ll look at how to avoid paranoia, in which fear takes over your life.

Fear is interesting. Rooted in the deepest part of our brains, it acts on levels that science still doesn’t fully understand. Every warrior culture throughout history has developed its own ways of controlling the fear they experience. And it takes effort to control—the chemicals released as part of the fight or flight response cause increased heart rate, increasing blood flow to major muscle groups, and otherwise preparing the body for either combat or a speedy exit. Hence “fight or flight response.”

This is part of the problem. Our brains can’t tell the difference between real threats—the tiger in the trees or the maniacs with a knife—and anxiety over thinking about them. So we run into my first point: while planning for self-defense, personal protection, and home security is important, it should be comforting rather than anxiety-inducing. We’re here to talk about risks, threats, and safety in a productive way, and adopting a self-defense-oriented lifestyle should be comforting, not crippling. If you find yourself getting overly anxious, take a break for a while and come back to it.

So be honest in your risk assessment. Don’t go looking for things to be afraid of, and don’t let your emotions drive the bus. Use your rational mind to evaluate what you’re up against, and plan for the most likely contingencies.

Speaking of preparation, fear also informs training, on a couple of levels. Firstly, you can’t be afraid to train. Training is going to hurt a bit. You might fall on your face a few times, metaphorically or physically. You might step way out of your comfort zones. All that can induce fear or at least anxiety, and you need to keep going anyway. Sometimes the way out is through.

Now for the ugly part: what do you do when things get far too real?

When an emergency strikes, you’ll likely be taken by surprise—that’s what makes it an emergency. You’ll already be behind the curve, reactive rather than proactive. Whether it’s a medical emergency or an assault, you’ll have to execute the same basic response: realizing and understanding the situation, selecting an appropriate course of action, and executing it in a timely manner. So how can you prepare to do that?

Training helps counteract, if not actually minimize, fear. By running through various drills or scenarios over and over, your skills become reflex. Thus, when the time comes and your higher brain functions are struggling to catch up, your hands and feet will already be in motion. They’re not kidding when they say that the first stage is denial; everyone I’ve ever talked to who has survived a force-on-force encounter has said that at first, it seemed surreal. This simply couldn’t be happening to them. After that the fear flooded in, further complicating their response.

Visualization also plays an important role. Just by thinking through various emergencies—a mugging, a carjacking, a house fire—and running various (realistic) plans in your mind, you can go a long way toward developing the approaches and mindset that you need.

With both practice/training and visualization, don’t get hung up on the “fun” stuff. Focus on your weaknesses, and don’t neglect the more mundane skills like first aid.

In conclusion, I’ll point out a running theme through all stages of this: part of coping with fear is acknowledging that it exists and that it exists in response to a world that isn’t as it should be. Bad things are going to happen. You may have to deal with them. And when you do, fear will be one of the factors you’ll have to cope with. Start planning on that now.

Previous Post

Meet Springfield’s New Hellion

Next Post

Fake ‘Undercover DEA Agent’ Arrested After Showing Concealed Carry Badge at Wendy’s for Discount

Sean Holt

Sean Holt

Sean is an avid hunter and firearms enthusiast. He has been carrying concealed since 2005. His main concealed carry setup is a Springfield Armory Mod.2 9mm carried in an Alien Gear Holster ShapeShift IWB although he does have different methods of carrying depending on the situation.

Related Posts

Otherwise Legal Gun Owner Arrested For Checking Handgun At Albany International
News

Otherwise Legal Gun Owner Arrested For Checking Handgun At Albany International

by Concealed Nation
May 20, 2022
The All-New Springfield Armory SAINT Edge ATC
Guns & Gear Reviews

The All-New Springfield Armory SAINT Edge ATC

by USA Carry
May 20, 2022
Mass Shooting in Chicago - "One million shell casings," a Officer Told 911
News

Mass Shooting in Chicago – “One million shell casings,” an Officer Told 911

by Brian Armstrong
May 20, 2022
Florida Man Draws On Man w/ Knife During Road Rage Incident Caught on Video
DGU

Florida Man Draws On Man w/ Knife During Road Rage Incident Caught on Video

by Luke McCoy
May 19, 2022
13-Year-Old Uses Mom's Glock to Defend Himself Against 2 Burglars; Fatally Shooting 1
DGU

13-Year-Old Uses Mom’s Glock to Defend Himself Against 2 Burglars; Fatally Shooting 1

by Luke McCoy
May 19, 2022
Next Post
Fake 'Undercover DEA Agent' Arrested After Showing Concealed Carry Badge at Wendy's for Discount

Fake 'Undercover DEA Agent' Arrested After Showing Concealed Carry Badge at Wendy's for Discount

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Connect with
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
guest
Connect with
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

USA Carry

© 2022 USA Carry LLC

Navigate Site

  • Home
  • Concealed Carry Resources
  • Articles
  • Forums
  • Directory
  • Giveaway
  • Store
  • Deals

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Concealed Carry Resources
    • Concealed Carry Permit Information By State
      • Alabama
      • Alaska
      • American Samoa
      • Arizona
      • Arkansas
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Connecticut
      • Delaware
      • Florida
      • Georgia
      • Guam
      • Hawaii
      • Idaho
      • Illinois
      • Indiana
      • Iowa
      • Kansas
      • Kentucky
      • Louisiana
      • Maine
      • Maryland
      • Massachusetts
      • Michigan
      • Minnesota
      • Mississippi
      • Missouri
      • Montana
      • Nebraska
      • Nevada
      • New Hampshire
      • New Jersey
      • New Mexico
      • New York
      • North Carolina
      • North Dakota
      • Northern Marianas
      • Ohio
      • Oklahoma
      • Oregon
      • Pennsylvania
      • Puerto Rico
      • Rhode Island
      • South Carolina
      • South Dakota
      • Tennessee
      • Texas
      • Utah
      • Vermont
      • Virgin Islands
      • Virginia
      • Washington
      • Washington D.C.
      • West Virginia
      • Wisconsin
      • Wyoming
    • Concealed Carry Permit Reciprocity Maps
    • Concealed Carry Permit Examples
  • Articles
    • Concealed Carry
    • Reviews
    • Defensive Gun Use Stories
    • Training
    • CCW For Women
    • General Firearm
    • Open Carry
    • Self-Defense
    • Survival
    • EDC
    • Home Defense
  • Forums
  • Directory
    • Firearm Instructors
    • Gun Ranges
    • Gun Stores
    • Gunsmiths
    • Gun Clubs
  • Giveaway
  • Store
  • Deals

© 2022 USA Carry LLC

Popup Button
wpDiscuz
0
0
Join the conversation, please comment.x
()
x
| Reply
You are going to send email to

Move Comment