Coronavirus: how to make fear your servant as uncertainty reigns during the global pandemic
- Rob Lilwall shares lessons learned when he cycled from Siberia to the UK via Australia - and overcame the fear of ‘being eaten by a bear’
It is natural to feel some fear during a global pandemic. Fears about health, jobs, personal finances, geopolitical conflict. And beneath all these is the great fuel of fear: uncertainty. Who knows how long this pandemic will last or what the fallout will be.
I have always been a fearful person and spent much of my life trying to come to terms with it. The reason why I have been on expeditions through places like Siberia, the Taklamakan Desert and Afghanistan is because, deep down, I wanted to get a handle on my fear.
The golden rule is that we should not try to deny our fears, or ignore them, but take the brave first step of understanding our fears.
First, what are you fearful of? You may only be aware of a lingering sense of dread in your body or mind. But ask yourself what you are actually afraid of, specifically. Don’t be vague. Name them. Write them down. This will give you power over them.
“I am afraid my parents might catch the virus and die”, or “I am afraid about losing my job/business and then I will not be able to pay the rent”, or “I am afraid about …”