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10 Funny Things I Fear
Seeing the absurd side helps me face my fears
A few months ago I had lunch with a friend. The conversation turned to our shared experiences of anxiety and we began to discuss flying.
I confessed a secret fear of mine: that the pilots will die during my flight, leaving no one to fly the plane. I expected a sympathetic response, but she burst out laughing!
It took me a moment to realize she’d just done me a huge favor.
Breaking fear’s spell
There’s a scene in Harry Potter in which his class meets a Boggart, a creature that assumes the form of the observer’s worst fear. The defense is to make the Boggart ridiculous, such as putting roller skates on a spider.
During that lunch with my friend, I finally saw my fear of flying for what it is: absurd and highly improbable. I realized I could relax during flights, eat the peanuts and watch the inflight movie instead of fretting about whether the pilots will suffer simultaneous sudden death.
I learned that laughing at the ridiculous side of my fears can help me…
