The fragile mind and overcoming fear

Understanding the causes of mental fragility and applying healing methods can help us combat fear

The cell phone rang and fell from her hand. There was an agonizing silence on every continent. Her only son in the US, a brilliant student, committed suicide. Bill Maher writes, “Suicide is man’s way of saying to God, ‘You can’t fire me, I’m giving up.'” But do brave men commit suicide? It appears to be a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Marcus Trescodick and Chetan Sharma come to mind. The former suffered from xenophobia in the subcontinent and Chetan Sharma lost his mojo and rhythm after being hit by Javed Miandad off the final sixth ball in Sharjah.

Fear, anxiety, emotional turmoil, unpleasant feelings, panic attacks and phobias are all symptoms of a fragile and sensitive mind. A fragmented mind is inevitably a victim of irrational fear. Such a person is unable to distinguish what is logical and what is not. People who experience anxiety experience panic attacks, sweaty palms, difficulty sleeping, racing heart, shortness of breath, inability to stay calm, dry mouth, and numbness in feet and hands. One reason fear increases is our pent-up emotions. These emotions are not based on a rational or scientific thought pattern. We end up reacting violently or irrationally instead of responding coherently and clearly. A person should remember that if left untreated, this situation can become an ornament of mourning. A person may suffer from psychosomatic illnesses, loss of appetite, self-deprecating behavior or even schizophrenia. Perhaps an element of fear is needed because then we can police our fences. Perhaps the only fearless people are wise and mentally confused individuals! They are isolated in fear! The brain is an organ and the mind is our intellect. It makes us aware and increases the quality of consciousness. The mind is a cinema in which the soap opera of our lives is performed. We play, rewind and repeat an enormous number of films. Our thoughts are influenced by the type of food we eat (Tamasik, Rajasik, Sattvik), the company we keep, and the amount of rest we allow ourselves. The quality (Guna) of food influences our disposition and attitude to life.

Tamasik food makes us sluggish, Rajasik food makes us feverish or anxious, and Sattvik food makes us feel calm. The first two lead us into frightening situations. When we associate with people who have a negative thought process, we pick up such traits and exhibit such a behavior pattern. “You can recognize a person by the society in which they live” is a very old saying, as is “Man is born free, but is always in chains”. It is crucial to get enough physical and mental rest. When we are rested, we are at peace and do not complain or argue.

Then we are physically and mentally alert and productive. We need to make space in our minds to simply throw away the trash that disappears into the trash and NEVER appears again. We need to pursue passions and hobbies, exercise, participate in extracurricular activities, avoid negative company, take initiatives, practice meditation, keep the mind busy, pound on the treadmill, take long walks, go on hikes and read autobiographies of entrepreneurs and achievers. There are others who take the spiritual path by practicing pranayama, learning yoga, taking the Art of Living course or observing the breath using the Vipassana technique. To overcome fear, we must log out of our comfort zone so that the virus of fear does not enter our operating system. And when nothing works, the magic is to surrender to the divine and be grateful.

(The author is the CEO of Chhattisgarh East Railway Ltd. and Chhattisgarh East West Railway Ltd. He is an expert in the art of living; views are personal)