Written by readersubmissions
Bravery is a trait that I have always admired most and sought in another person. Bravery in all its forms, as it takes many.
However, it can feel quite fraudulent to value and admire bravery so much when you suffer with anxiety. As it is so crippling and demoralizing, succumbing to anxiety’s grip and allowing it to feature so prominently in your life is not that difficult. It’s as if you are carrying a volcano of panic, pending eruption, in the pit of your stomach at all times. With fear bubbling and crawling constantly under your skin like an irritating itch, preventing it from boiling over and smothering you is an onerous task.
Not so long ago, I would have believed that truly courageous people never felt fear, apprehension or crippling self-doubt, and more importantly, that they would never dare admit to it. However, after much reflection on its concept, I have come to realise and better understand a couple of things about bravery.
Firstly, in order to be brave, you have to make a conscious effort to be so. Bravery is not an inherent trait that you are blessed with. Bravery is a choice and it’s one you must keep making.
Secondly, a presence of fear is not an absence of bravery. Being void of any gnawing dread and anxiety pangs does not automatically mean that you are a brave person. It is foolish to act as though we are impervious to fear’s spiteful chill, and even more foolish to believe that feigning invulnerability is the same as being strong and heroic. In fact, the most useful thing you can do with fear is acknowledge its presence, personify it, sit with it, and befriend it, even though it can be extremely painful and debilitating.
We must all start accepting fear as a challenge to be brave, because without fear, how can we be brave?
Written by Amy Tuohy
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