Which Came First, the Fear or Stress?

21. September 2009 by admin.

Ever since I decided to become an affiliate for “Free From Fear” I have been reading up on fear, its symptoms and causes.  I have been able to find much more information on “Stress”.

However, from my studies, stress and fear are very much alike and I thought to myself, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”

Can you have stress with out being fearful?  Can you be afraid without becoming stressful?  It is my contention that the two terms can almost be inter-changeable.  See if you can come up with a situation that is stressful which did not have fear in the background.  Then see if you can name a fearful situation that did not lead to stress.

Look at these STRESS statistics compiled for a recent REFLEXOLOGY presentation.

*7 out of every 10 people who die each year had been living with a chronic illness.
*1 out of every 2 of us is now living with a chronic illness.
*For 3 of every 4 of those with a chronic illness, STRESS may be a contributing factor.
(American Medical Association)

*A full 43% of US adults suffer adverse effects from STRESS.
(American Psychological Association)

*More than 80% of physician office visits are associated with unresolved stress issues.
*Stress is a big factor in more than 75% of all illnesses diagnosed today with many studies putting this figure closer to 90%.
(www.About.com)

*Depression, only one type of stress reaction, is predicted to be the leading occupational disease of the 21st century, responsible for more days lost than any other single factor.
*$300 Billion, or $7,500 per employee, is spent annually in the US on stress-related compensation claims, reduced productivity, absenteeism, health insurance costs, direct medical expenses (nearly 50% higher for workers who report stress), and employee turnover.
(www.stressdirections.com)

After re-reading those figures a second time, I can see why despite the fact that the USA has the most modern medical facilities we rank far down on the list of the most healthy people in the world.  Most of our illnesses are caused by fear related stressful conditions.

Our medical profession is taught to prescribe drugs to cure us.  The drugs do not cure us, they just mast the symptoms until our bodies can do the healing (my personal feeling and at times I am glad that they do mast the symptoms).  If we do not uncover the root of the cause then our bodies have a difficult time doing its healing.  Talk about a  classic “Catch 22”.

One thing I read that was very interesting was that fear and love can not both exist within you at the same time.  An easy test of this is to “smile” when you are in a fearful situation or if you find yourself becoming stressed out.

The free e-Book, “Free From Stress” provides many insights into successfully coping with our fears.  http://fx3.ExperienceHappinessNow.com.

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