Fear, and its accompanying seriousness, causes our suffering. Fear restricts and imprisons us. And such restrictions are neither medically nor spiritually healthy.
Where Does The Fear Come From?
We teach fear to one another. We do an excellent job of educating each other about the dangers that lurk in our lives. And to this day we are more than willing to reinforce one another’s fears by sharing “good advice.”
And fear is so powerful it will not only negate the most powerful medicines, natural and man-made alike, but also completely dampen our spirituality.
Which brings us to the only true choice we have in life. Will we be inspired by fear or by fun? There is only one choice regarding our health, wellness, and fitness - fear or fun. It all boils down to that. It is our option and responsibility to choose one or the other.
The question is, which is the responsible choice? Which of the two is a powerful medicine which will give a man health and motivate him to greater success, sustaining him over time? Which of these two will provide the stress management and relief techniques we need? The convergence of medicine and spirituality gives us the answer.
Fear And Fun Are Both Highly Effective Motivators
There is no doubt that both fear and fun are potent stimulants to behavior over the short run. So the question becomes one of sustainability. Which of the two will best help us sustain our excellence over time? Which of the two is a powerful alternative medicine that you can learn to use for your greatest health, wellness, and fitness? (That’s a trick question, by the way)
Let’s Encounter A Man-Eating Bear!
The fear of being eaten alive motivates us to run as fast and as far as we can when chased by a bear. There is little to no fun in that experience. It is purely fearful, but the energy it provides maximizes the possibilities of sustaining life for that moment. At first glance, in such a life-threatening situation, fear seems to have been an efficient and productive choice. Full of stress to be sure, but in this case our escape is one of the best stress management and relief techniques!
But let’s take it a step further. Having survived my encounter with the bear, I return to my home in an urban environment. The next morning, as I start out for work, I run desperately for the car, quickly jumping inside and locking the doors.
When I arrive at work, I race into the building. Before I get down to work I suspend my bagged lunch high above my desk, roping it to the light standards. I insist upon all doors being locked and secured. When asked why, I answer, “I’m merely doing what got me through my wilderness experience over the weekend. I don’t want to be eaten by a bear.”
You’d think I was over-reacting just a wee bit, and you’d be right. You could say that my stress relieves my anxiety, but my anxiety is a merely a lie conjured by my fear! Not exactly the greatest of stress management and relief techniques.
The Three Biggest Dangers Of Our “Run-From-a-Bear” Stress Management Techniques
1. We live our lives as though every day was an emergency; as though a bear is chasing us all the time. This is unfortunate for three reasons:
2. Of all the stress management and relief techniques I know, this is the absolute worst because it only increases our stress! It reduces the effectiveness of our powerful natural medicine to zilch.
3. We now know that such a constant state of “wariness” or agitation breaks down our coping mechanisms over time. It is impossible to sustain the fear-based behavior without breaking down or burning out.
A more pernicious error occurs. We begin to thing that the avoidance of whatever we fear is the same as having fun. Joy becomes synonymous with the avoidance of fear. The Absence Of One Thing Does Not Indicate The Presence Of Its Opposite
If this sounds ridiculous to you let me put it in more familiar terms that have become acceptable where our health is concerned. With rare exception we have agreed in our society that health is synonymous with absence of symptoms. Do you really believe a woman's health is merely the absence of her symptoms? Think for just a moment when you last fell for this miscalculation. Was it last week, last month, or just yesterday? "The Fun Factor" teaches us that, not only is the absence of symptoms not synonymous with health, but also that we never have to fall for that lie again. We never have to settle for second-rate health! We can use our powerful natural medicine, fun, to stave off fear's debilitating effects and super-charge our stress management and relief techniques.
Currently we are debating in our society whether or not the absence of war is the same as the presence of peace. Two things are wrong with that. You can’t sufficiently define something by the absence of its opposite. Black is not the absence of white. But even if it was a correct definition, the second hurdle is that it is impossible to totally eliminate anything - black or white. Life just doesn’t occur in pure form.
Remember, the more you utilize the alternative medicine of fun the more balanced you will be. The more balanced you are, the more spiritually healthy you are. The more spiritually healthy you are, the more health, wellness, and fitness of mind, body, and pocketbook you have. Great, right?
How to turbo-charge your health, success, and vitality! Clifford Kuhn, M.D., America's Laugh Doctor, teaches people and organizations to be more healthy and successful through the use of fun and humor. A psychiatrist, and the former associate chairperson of the University of Louisville's renowned Department of Psychiatry, Dr. Kuhn now dispenses his unique Fun Factor prescription from http://www.natural-humor-medicine.com/. On his website you will find tons of fun, free ways for you to maximize your sense of humor, and enjoy a life others will envy and admire.
