Scared to Death to Reap the Rewards
Another Halloween is here, the time for acting out our childlike behavior in ways that scare us and others. But Halloween isn’t the only time we seek spine-tingling thrills. In 2008, scary films grossed $294,256,870 according to the-numbers.com. Frightening rides like rollercoasters and extreme sports are a few of the ways we scare the breath right out of ourselves. (Even yours truly foolishly accompanied my brother on his third ride on the very scary rollercoaster at California Adventure, because it was my older brother prodding me to accompany him, afterall).
What is it about being temporarily terrified we seem to love so much and yet, the loss of a job or a change in our routine can scare us to death?
Is it the momentary adrenaline when the epinephrine kicks in from pushing ourselves to an uncomfortable edge, yet bigger changes take longer and drag out our fear, so we’re not as sure of the end and don’t get the rush? Are we challenging ourselves to deal with the negative thoughts and emotional reactions so we can experience our own power of conquering it and building our courage? (You might see how often you eat a treat after being pleasantly shocked. (Now you can feel as if you deserve your reward, right?)
Whether or not you decide to engage in watching horror films or participate in playful, yet frightening activities is your own choice, but you can find other pleasant ways to stimulate yourself into action that offer rewarding sensations. Helping others is one way of experiencing a euphoric feeling and it doesn’t have any potential negative side effect.
Maybe it’s time to recognize that all leaps into the unknown can bring up fear, but you can and have taken risks before and you will come out alive because you’ve already built sufficient experiences to know you can meet those challenges – and you don’t have to walk a graveyard at midnight to feel good about yourself or deserve your just rewards.
Tags: euphoric feelings, fear, Halloween, positive rush, taking risks
