Be Fearless and All Phobias Will Flee (satire)

If I see a bug, a spider or a mushroom, then it is in celebration of the plenitude of life. Even a picture of a snake is but a subtle reminder that a picture may be worth a thousand words.

Yet a picture that evokes a flurry of anxiety that results in fear ought to be viewed a thousand times to desensitize ourselves to the phobia until it fades away.

Otherwise the phobic person will only be enthralled by her phobia such that she relives the original exposure to the object of her fear.

Such behavior is maladaptive since it does not deal with the original fear, but instead is an unconscious choice which is sometimes made repeatedly.

Instead of reacting to my fear and raising my anxiety as a result of a fear stimulus, I find that continued exposure to the object of my fear leaves me feeling less and less afraid of the unnerving stimuli. If the feeling of fear returns I suppress all thought of fear and reaffirm my commitment to keeping my mind at peace.

Therefore, phobias ought not be cultivated and nurtured, lest you obsess about your fears and let your life be guided by them.

It is far better to keep the mind occupied on positive thoughts until those fears are forgotten. By choosing not to listen to anxiety's scaremongering, your mind is yours to free itself of fear with courage.

When you're done (poem)

When you're done
with just sitting,
and have augmented
your meditation sessions
with Buddha Recitation,
Buddhist mindful practice
helps you confront the Truth
with eyes open —
it grants you the courage
not to look away to wonder
if Heaven or Hell surely
is a place on Earth.

Facing fear: That Which is Indestructible

"Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible in us be found." Pema Chodron

For the average person, fear of annihilation may lead to anxiety about death.

Facing that fear is the way out of such anxiety.

"That which is indestructible in us" refers to courage and the ability to overcome fear in the face of annihilation.