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How often do we use the phrase: “They are crazy!”, or “That’s crazy!”. Mostly we don’t even think about it. Let alone take into consideration that in some people, this expression causes an unpleasant feeling and even fear. Some individuals are scared to lose their minds.
It is well known that Gandhi also often worried about losing his mind and checked with his wife whether she thought he was going crazy.
Most of us feel terrified of losing control of ourselves. And this is also not something out of the ordinary. The main thing is to understand this fear for what it is.
Here we need to make a reservation: a tiny part of humanity experiences an extreme fear of going crazy. Most of us, with a more stable psyche, try not to think about it. While they – due to their calm mind – have such an opportunity to grow from this experience.
This type of fear is so common is not a psychiatric disorder. Fear of losing control and fear of going crazy is not included in the list of dangerous diseases established by the international community. This allows – again – so many opportunities to grow personally.
Often, neurologists define the disease as vegetovascular dystonia (VVD). This diagnosis is known for its versatility of symptoms and belongs to the group of other diagnoses.
Human fears and panic attacks are intertwined. The occurrence of such conditions leads to the fact that the individual begins to be afraid to become crazy. The beginning actually is a more common fear of losing control.
When this happens, people tend to move away from social life, and then when sticking to that coping mechanism, the process becomes irreversible. Without a connection with other people, a person quicker loses control over himself, enhancing his fear. A vicious circle has arisen.
A character trait thinkers have more often with neurosis, and there is also a fear of losing one’s mind. People are afraid of losing control of themselves, and this fear provokes even more significant concern. And then a frequently occurring obsessive state in which there is no more logic. Something is happening more than we generally assume. (As a philosopher I notice)
How normal live causes anxiety?
The following cases are social reasons leading to fear of losing control or going crazy:
- emotional or physical overload,
- fatigue,
- tension in personal life,
- tension at work.
“I’m going nuts” is something many have sighed during Corona-quarantine, for example.
Very busy people are prone to phobias to losing their minds. As a result, a person becomes more controlling, and this only exacerbates his position. Attention decreases; the memory becomes weaker, mental processes slow down. These somatic disorders lead to the worry of his madness.
A liberation from philosophy
The pressure prevents the person from accepting something instead of natural to a philosopher. Others find it liberating to allow this notion into their minds and lives. I’m talking about the philosophical idea of accepting the ‘not-knowing as a common point of departure for any undertaking in life and one’s mental life. ‘Not-knowing’ need not be scary; it is a healthy and the sanest place to begin. Moreover, people find it healing to let it in.
One might be hesitant to accept it at first because it Yet requires trust in reality and one’s thought capacity.
Effective ways of inquiry and action when experiencing fear of going crazy
In general, I can say that our Leadership Course on Self-Awareness will be very effective with this type of problem. Becoming a FULL Member of our community will allow you access to others and that course on Self Awareness as well. Maybe you want to try our free membership first. That is free, and you are so welcome.
Here are some actions that will help in fear of losing control and fear of going crazy.
- You can still offer to act on the principle of “wedge by the wedge.” We must try to give our fears the right to exist. In one’s thoughts, one can “crank up” and consider any situation.
- After that, you need to conduct an inquiry of your attitude to the above events. If you do not want to do this alone, you can join the Black Sheep Community definitely.
- Imagine something awful. If you feel disgusted by just the thought that such an unpleasant event could happen to you, you know everything is in order with your consciousness. That simple analysis showed that you are a sane person; however, you are feeling. That means that you can trust your mind as a means to think for your real life. And therefore do not need to fear the tool of thinking as such.
- Learn how to get rid of the physical settings that bother you. Simple and small things might make all the difference.
- Breath! By paying attention to your breath, slowly out, you stay in control of your connection to reality here and now. As long as you have your breath, you are here and welcome and ok. Keep breathing as long as necessary ’till you are calm again. All thoughts passing during that practice can simply be ignored. Having thoughts is not the same as thinking. Having thoughts is just happening and nothing to worry about. (Accept you might want to work on your thinking skills later, when calm again.)
- Show your strength. This does not mean to be aggressive. It just a confirmation to yourself; you still have power over your life and yourself.
- Endure something uncomfortable consciously for a few minutes. Take a cold shower, for example. Doing this will prove to yourself you can endure it. And to stop it again. Both compelling experiences and essential for existential well being.
- Connect with others, and they’re also express something you would advise them to change. This trick might surprise you. The idea is to prove to yourself consciously to that people will not disconnect form you right away when you do not only provide them a lip-service. This can be small, like telling them you think what color would be beautiful on their walls or another haircut you think would work well on them. Or a type of food they should try. The important thing is that the other person is not asking for this; it should be your initiative to let it happen.
- To overcome this condition, you also need to start some beautiful and relaxing actions such as outdoor recreation, a trip to the sea, or complete relaxation at home. Even if you only have a few minutes. To do so consciously, you will help to relax. Especially when combined with activities before and after!
No wonder even in the famous song, it is sung:
“You should not bend under a changing world.”
Why emotional intelligence is the key to letting life in and avoiding the fear of going crazy
Ultimately, under the fear of losing one’s mind, the denial of one’s self should be stopped first of all. Remember that ineffective attitudes in cases of anxiety will contribute to this denial. So please do feel what you feel. Allow the emotion to be. Simple, be aware of it.
That emotional intelligence will help you deal with it in a growing manner, allowing your mind to be occupied with more pressing matters instead of keeping a worldview in place that, by definition, falls short. Whatever the worldview is. Accepting that, and still daring to think and live, makes all the difference. Yet to do so, we also need to take and be aware of our emotions. And build emotional intelligence, indeed.
And also remember this. It is possible to keep anger inside yourself for a long time. Yet it very unhealthy and ineffective. And you are not surfing anyone. Even though it might seem so, passion should come out. And if your will was suppressed due to circumstances independent of you – as almost all of us experience in some way in the same phase in life – please allow yourself to get angry.
Any emotion expressed well will prevent you from suffering phobias. So do look into it, when you do suffer from it.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present, aware of where you are and what you’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around you.
According to a 2014 study, mindfulness meditation can help improve your emotional intelligence in three major ways:
- Improves your ability to comprehend your own emotions
- Helps you learn how to recognize the emotions of others
- Strengthens your ability to control your emotions
By practicing mindfulness every day, you will develop this part of your brain and make it stronger. Then, when you find yourself in a stressful situation, it will be easier to switch on the mindful part of your mind. If you still find yourself having trouble with this concept, try keeping notes throughout the day about situations that cause you to feel strong emotions.
Your emotions matter
As you develop the capacity to better recognize and understand your own emotions, you’ll find it easier to appreciate how others are feeling, improving how you communicate and helping your personal and professional relationships to flourish. And as you bring stress into balance and learn to tolerate even unpleasant emotions, you’ll discover that your capacity for experiencing positive emotions has grown and intensified. You’ll find it easier to play, laugh, and feel open to joy No matter how stressed or emotionally out of control you feel now, by drawing on these tools, life can and will get lighter and brighter.
What activates emotions?
As humans, we have emotions so we can make connections with the people around us and figure out what makes us feel good and what doesn’t.
Our emotions are like our internal compass, helping us to figure out how a situation makes us feel. This then helps us make decisions about whether we want to be in that situation and allows us to figure out what we do and don’t want in life.
We need to be able to recognize when we have an emotion, know what it is, and know what it is trying to tell us.
For example, if a child is spending time with a group of people who make them feel unhappy about themselves, anxious, and under pressure – it is important that they can recognize this and realize that their feelings are telling them that this isn’t the right situation for them to be in.
If they are able to listen to their feelings and respond to them, they are going to be more likely to gravitate toward people who make them feel good about themselves.
A child who does not have this awareness may not even realize that their chosen friendship groups are having a negative impact on their wellbeing.