Fear Is Like A Mouse

I read a book once that described all the emotions that could slowly tear you apart inside as animals. Fear was a scurrying mouse, taking small bites out of things and nibbling away at your confidence.

http://news.discovery.com/animals/mice-stem-cells-101209.html

I think fear hurts us in so many ways. It prevents us from taking risks, from fully enjoying ourselves, from doing things that might hurt. This post was originally supposed to be about fear of childbirth and how it affects childbirth, but I feel like there's so much more to say. The trick is figuring out how to let mind prevail over matter. Easier said than done, right?

In this article, women who were scared of giving birth ended up spending more time in labor. What a great irony. "The study also found that mothers who feared childbirth were also more likely than unafraid women to need an emergency C-section (11% versus 7%) or assistance with instruments such as forceps for vaginal delivery (17.0% versus 11%). Overall, about a quarter of women who feared childbirth delivered without any obstetric interventions, compared with nearly 45% of women who were not afraid."

Fear also produces chemical and physiological changes in our bodies: “Mental stress is associated with physiological arousal and release of stress hormones. During labor, high levels of stress hormones may weaken uterine contractility and thereby prolong labor in women with fear of childbirth."

So let's stop psyching ourselves out, right? Let's do some yoga, spend some time with no distractions, let's journal and calm our minds so that we are not so afraid.

Anyway, I feel like I can take this information and apply it to my life, aside from childbirth. I think fear generally makes things worse. We are paralyzed and guarded instead of forthcoming and open. I guess the whole point of this post is that I need to be less afraid and more willing to really live life, whatever it has to offer.