Fear. What is it and is it worth getting rid of it?

To begin with, fear is a protective function of the organism to the sources of threat with the subsequent motivation to act to protect it, if we consider this concept in more detail, fear is an intense emotion that is activated by the detection of the organism potential threat to us, while mobilizing the body to eliminate it in order to "survive". It is an important mechanism that was laid down by evolution for our defense. But why go into such detail about the meaning of the word? Doesn't anyone understand what "fear" is? Not really, unfortunately.

A more in-depth deciphering of fear should give a concrete understanding that just like this emotional-action arousal is as fundamental a component that was laid down evolutionarily as other emotional manifestations and their reactions. Accordingly, at the very beginning, you can close the question that emotions do not go away, no matter how much you want them to. The absence of emotions and fear, including fear, is no longer seen as a privilege, but as a specific pathology that threatens human life activity.

And where does fear come from and what provokes it?

The origin of fear

Under the key terms at the very beginning of the article I mentioned such concepts as Almond body, Visual cortex, Hippocampus and Hypothalamus, these are all useful for us now to describe all the basic processes that occur in each person.

As we discussed earlier, the amygdala is a paired organ, the center of emotions, which is mainly responsible for negative emotions and is the center of fear, anxiety and aggression.

The amygdala is very important for the human being for the reason that it is constantly in an active state and registers stimuli in the environment for the presence of threat and corrects behavior adjusting it to the context of fear.

Based on this it is possible to draw a logical conclusion that if a person will be missing this organ, he or she will either partially or fully missing the sense of threat, and accordingly fear.

Such pathology is called as Urbach-White disease, which was discovered in 1929 by scientists Erich Urbach and Camillo Wite. The whole story is a rare genetic disorder in which people have a partially or fully destroyed almond-shaped body and a complete lack of fear. Is this a good thing? No.

But since this disease is a very rare pathology and we are all right - we can understand the nature and biology of fear, and we will proceed to it.

The nature of fear. Activation of the amygdala

The amygdala is activated when we have a condition of potential threat: the first experience of jumping from a parachute, a pack of dogs in the yard, in which you have not been before, the beginning of something new, trading after training, the first deal on a pro-exam, or in general opening a position - there are a huge number of such examples and they are united by the same essence. But about it a little later.

Accordingly, to activate fear, we need a source of threat, but what is the nuance? Despite the complex structure of the brain, it is not able to categorize the threat into literal and non-literal. Under the literal threat canand should be considered something that can directly threaten us, for example: fire, bare cable, to be above the abyss, to cross the road at full flow of cars, etc. Under non-literal everything is much simpler - the fear of confessing feelings, speaking in public, coming to the first training session or asking to open an extra cash register. I think the difference is clear. Accordingly, the brain will perceive these signals in the same way, provoking feelings of fear only with different intensity.

But what processes occur inside a person?

The biology of fear

In the presence of a threat, the brain sends a signal through the hypothalamus to our adrenal glands and from there are released hormones such as: cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline.

What happens to the body at this point?

Increased blood circulation. It is necessary for its delivery to the organs that need it during emergencies - heart, muscles, etc.

Increased heart rate. Needed to provide tissues and organs with oxygen.

Increasedrespiratory rate. It is necessary to saturate the blood with oxygen, which will have a positive effect on the blood supply of the person.

Vasoconstriction. It is necessary for the delivery of oxygen already in the muscles in order for us to have strength for some actions.

Increase in blood sugar levels. Required for the body to get energy.

Further, when the source of fear is eliminated (disappears) hypothalamus gives a signal that everything is fine and the body comes to a normal working state.

"Hit, run or freeze" plays a key role in this situation, as the whole essence in its name is a description of the actions that are provoked by our body to eliminate the threat. Are there any pitfalls of this process? Yes, now we will analyze them.

The reverse side of adaptation to fear, which hinders traders

It's already quite simple here. Imagine that the brain is a kind of "notebook" that makes entries for later understanding of actions to be taken in a given situation in order to protect your body. How does this work?

Let's imagine that we are faced with some "conditionally traumatic" event, let it be stroking a dog that you met for the first time in your life or just opening the first position in an exam. What will the two situations mentioned above have in common? Lack of experience. In the other case, we may also experience fear if we have already encountered a source that will bring back memories of negative experiences.

Upon encountering a "threat" we have received an activation of the Bay or Run process , and then the key nuance begins - the action to be taken in the moment to avoid the threat will be directly written into our brain's notebook. So, if in the moment the opening position was a direct threat to us, we were worried, and we made the decision to "sit on the fence" simply because we were worried - the brain will make a direct association with the fact that when interacting with this threat, the best solution to stay alive is to take no action and simply observe the situation. In the moment you feel calmer, at a distance you don't. Why? It is quite simple.

In the next suitable conditions for opening a position, it will be hard for us to perform this action because it is different from the action that once "helped us survive". The conclusion is that it is important for us to adapt to the threat, not avoid it. But can something be done about all of this? Yes.

How do you adapt fear to fit you and learn how to work with it?

As I mentioned earlier - the brain is quite a plastic thing, which is always in the stage of learning and processing information and then using it. Similarly, gaining experience works the same way. It can and will definitely help us in both our daily and professional lives. In what way?

Let me just clarify an important point. Psychology should not just be talked about - it should be worked on, remember this when it seems to you that everything is going down the drain.

Do not hope that all your "problems", which are mainly related to desire and inflated expectations in the realization of their own potential as soon as possible just go away after another conversation inside the chat room. Alas, it doesn't work that way, as much as we would like it to.

Fast does not mean quality, as you have already seen by the example of many and yourself included.

"Exposure Technique" in conjunction with the ABCDE technique

First of all, let's understand what the Exposure Technique is

This technique was founded by clinical psychology professor Edna Foa in 1980 for the treatment of PTSD and OCD (we will talk about them in the future).

It is based on intentionally exposing the person to sources that cause fear and anxiety so that the person at a distance can adapt to them and the fear goes away "on its own"

What is the essence of this technique?

From its description we can guess that a person needs to "look fear in the eye" in order to prove its irrationality and to prove to the brain that the reaction (reaction prevention) to it is not as dangerous as we imagine it to be.

In the context of trading, what would be our reaction warning? Right - opening a position, for example, and during the exposure we need to intentionally open this position for a certain time (for everyone it is individual, do not draw some terms for yourself, so that in the future you do not suffer from inflated expectations!) and withstand the formed negative emotion.

The exposure method will show that fear has no clear foundation and cannot last forever. With each attempt a person will adapt more and more to this situation and the fear of opening positions should go away partially or maybe even completely, through, again, the same adaptation.

This process is called habituation or getting used to anxiety/fear.

Why in duo with the ABCDE technique and what is it?

In simple words, it is your diary of emotions. A technique that was founded by Albert Ellios, which is also considered as one of the main techniques of CBT for overcoming anxiety and working through your own thoughts to change your thinking.

In duo because.

Based on research, the exposure technique has greater effectiveness with additional notation (talking to oneself), analyzing the negative situations and emotions that were caused by it.

Accordingly, dialoging with yourself in this journal is important.

Read more about ABCDE

This story stands for:

A (adversity) - an unfavorable situation, or activating event.

B (beliefs) - beliefs that relate to the problematic situation.

C (consequences) - an emotional consequence.

D (disputing) - questioning harmful beliefs by challenging them.

E (effects) - the results of realizing and challenging thoughts.

How to fill in:

A - We need to describe the situation that triggered our fear, e.g. opening a position, closing it prematurely, etc.

B - You need to record the beliefs that relate to this event, they can be of varying intensity. Divide them into two categories: valid and erroneous (in column D you will get the criteria to determine the validation of erroneous beliefs, so that it will help to really look at the situation), for example, "I missed the entry, and the guys in the chat caught this move, but I did not - there is something wrong with me and most likely I will lose the Challenge).

C - Describe the consequences that resulted from the beliefs you described earlier, e.g., did you really lose the Challenge after missing the entry, maybe you became "less competent" or there will be no more opportunity in the market to enter the position at all?

D - Try asking and answering a series of leading questions to question your beliefs, for example:

1. Is it consistent with reality and is it of such a destructive nature?
2. Will this judgment help me to become a better person and achieve development in trading?
3. Does this belief act positively or negatively on me?
4. Does it seem reasonable and justified?

Etc.

In order to help yourself evaluate your own beliefs, many qualified experts advise you to imagine that someone from your close social circle, in this case a community member, is in this situation. How would you reassure him or her, what advice do you have?)

E - Write down the final result of realizing and challenging the harmful thoughts, summarize and write it all down in your diary, be as honest with yourself as possible.

How does an emotional diary help?

It's simple, tracking and working on rationalizing your thoughts at a distance will ultimately be beneficial in changing your thinking in a positive way

Important clarification - at a distance, but it usually gets easier and the logic becomes clearer the first time you fill out this journal.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, the overwhelming number of beginners try to find somewhere the root of the problem, which will be related to the emotional background at the time when the solution is on the surface.

Emotions are not bad, they are your friends. Your task is to learn how to work with them, not to try to completely remove them from your life and trading. This is a fallacy.

90% of the most common nuances in trading are closed by increasing the amount of knowledge and experience. If you are afraid to do something - do it. If you are afraid to start something - let it be a signal for action. Experiment. Live. Develop. This is the key to subsequent harmony both within you and on the chart.

In case the problems have a long-term dynamic on the distance and interfere with your life activity - consult a qualified specialist, for starters a psychologist. Don't neglect your mental health, many of life's nuances start there.

Madman | Cryptology, thank you for your attention!