Antidotes for Fear

There is a lot of fear in the air.

In my personal sphere, my middle schooler came home telling me they spent a lesson on what Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) does and knowing their Constitutional rights if approached.

My father, a career public servant with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suddenly lives in a land where science and those who make the science are threatened and thwarted.

A physician colleague shared that their clinic’s staff meeting was consumed with what to do if ICE shows up at their front door.

A community activist colleague texted me frantically, that same day, “I am hearing reports that ICE is currently at your hospital. Can you confirm this?”

Even our land’s original citizens have not been spared. The Navajo Nation sent out a warning for their citizens, reporting that some have already been wrongly detained when they cannot provide documentation of who they are. In the press release:

“Despite possessing Certificates of Indian Blood (CIBs) and state-issued IDs, several individuals have been detained or questioned by ICE agents who do not recognize these documents as valid proof of citizenship.”

My wife, a Dine’ (Navajo) woman lies in bed worrying about what she would do if confronted, and whether or not she would be believed, knowing full well the history of violence and erasure this country has inflicted on her people.

As a physician, I am deeply saddened to see all of this. I know this is an unhealthy situation that is causing needless harm.

As a citizen, I am saddened but not surprised to see where our mis-guided leaders are trying to take us. Fear has a tight grip on them and they are reacting by passing along their fear to the rest of us. (It doesn’t hurt that fear is also a really effective way to get votes)

So, what do we do? What can we do?

I have five thoughts to share on this.

#1 – Connect

We must find ways to connect to Life, as fear strives to disconnect us from the land, from one another, and from Creator. I ask myself, “Will I spend more time in fear or in gratitude today?” Ultimately, each of us determines that answer for ourselves.

#2 – Talk with others

Talk about how you are feeling with those around you. Not on social media, but real in-person conversations to share and empathize. With each of these conversations, fear recedes a bit further.

#3 – Consume news in small amounts

Be mindful of how much news you consume in this moment, knowing that all media, far left to far right, thrives on fear. Keep informed, yes. But in small doses that are compatible with your wellness.

#4 – Fill your airwaves with hope, love, humor, etc.

As the complement to #3, we need to put the opposite of fear into our earbuds and personal airwaves. What books, for instance, remind you of your deepest ideals? A great time to pick them up, dust them off, and read them for a ump-teenth time. A book of Mother Teresa quotes and another on undoing racism are ones by my bedside at the moment. But if Calvin and Hobbs or Trevor Noah are more what you are needing, going the way of humor is never a bad decision either.

#5 – Serve others

Reach beyond your comfort zone to those who are our neighbors, those who are in need of love and clothes and a warm cup of soup. In opening our arms to those around us, we subdue and defeat fear. Do something radical this week, out of the norm for yourself, to reach out and serve someone, maybe a complete stranger. It is impossible, I have found, to be fearful in moments where I am in service to others.

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Thank you for allowing me to share. I feel the fear diminishing already, as I think about where to place my energies today.

I will close with a beautiful quote by the late Civil Rights leader and US Congressman John Lewis, as I practice #4 above, listening to those guiding lights in my life:

“There is an old African proverb, ‘When you pray, move your feet.’ 

As a nation if we care for the Beloved Community, we must move

our feet,

our hands,

our hearts,

our resources

to build and not to tear down,

to reconcile and not to divide,

to love and not to hate,

to heal and not to kill.”