I love when conversations get past the surface layers, whether it’s acquaintances, friends, family, whoever. There’s so much “fluff” we can use to fill our conversations and it’s easy to miss what’s really going on in people’s lives.
It’s not always easy or convenient to get into these conversations, because we are always so busy, or you don’t feel like opening a can of worms.
There’s something so rewarding about getting to this level of conversation. A few weeks ago I went to lunch with some girlfriends, and we were lucky enough to have one of these deep conversations.
One of my friends was discussing a circumstance she was dealing with and immediately, I knew the exact thing she was going through; because I deal with it too. See, these conversations are so good.
I actually have a title for what she and I experience. I call it Irrationally Rational Fears.
According to the Medical Dictionary, an Irrational fear is: a persistent, irrational, intense fear of a specific object, activity, or situation (the phobic stimulus).
Here’s the thing, my fears are both Rational and Irrational. Here’s why – There’s a really good chance, the things I am fearful of probably aren’t going to happen. However, there’s definitely a chance that they could.
Here’s an example: I live in the outskirts of a city. How outskirts? 2 streets away from my house is a cow pasture. Behind our house is a beautiful paved trail that runs for miles and miles. So occasionally, when I need to hit some pavement – I use this trail. However, before I actually make the decision run the thought of it invokes fear in me, for a
First reason: Wildlife. I live in Florida. We have all kinds of crazy, and deadly wildlife. Scares the chocolate ice cream emoji out of me.
Second Reason: Humans. I live in Florida. We have all kinds of crazy, and deadly humans. I would like to say I am joking, but I am not. This pathway is literally in my backyard. Like it is for so many other homes in my area. So if I am out running, and see someone enter the pathway that wasn’t there before – I kind of panic. I am overly cautious, and try to pretend to not be hyper-aware of my surroundings. I probably look like idiotic. I sometimes take my dog with me, for added protection.
I mean, I could give more specific details of the scenarios I have played out in my head. This is another issue surrounding my Irrationally Rational Fears. I ALWAYS have a plan. I know exactly what I am going to do if someone attacks me from behind. I know exactly how I will respond if the person who just passed me on the trail turns back around. I know exactly how to react if I see a wild bear.
Running on the trail isn’t the only thing I do this for, either. I know it sounds crazy, but I am absolutely not the only one who deals with this. You probably deal with this as well, maybe not on my level, but to some degree.
I know women who are panic-stricken when they have to sleep at home alone. I know I can definitely be. I will sleep with my car keys near my bed because I read once that if you hear an intruder, setting off your car alarm can startle them, and it’s a great way to get your neighbors attention without actually having to leave your house.
There are so many areas of my life where I have let these Irrationally Rational Fears settle. I do need to work on these fears, because even though they don’t directly affect me, now, I could absolutely see how I could easily become an issue if one of my scenarios ever did play out.
Have you experienced an Irrationally Rational Fear? How do you handle it?
