Almost as long as I have been old enough to understand such things, I have had a fear of things that are invisible or nearly invisible, but can cause grave illness or death. This fear includes things like toxic chemicals that can be found just about anywhere, radiation, mold spores, bacteria, viruses, tiny insects that can infect or bite, or even sometimes ghosts or demons. Most days I am like any other average person with few thoughts of these kinds of things. But on a bad day I can be consumed with thoughts and fears that make it nearly impossible to enjoy life or function.
I'm not sure where this fear came from other than the basic human instinct for self-preservation. I have learned to cope with it somewhat, but I am always looking for ways to become stronger. Sometimes I have to actually tell myself out loud to "be brave". Other times I have to listen to music or distract myself somehow. Other times I pray (even though I am not a particularly religious person). Most of the time I just have to tell myself that life in general is not risk-free. Everyone is exposed to things daily that could kill them sooner or later. I guess the trick is to not let those things keep you from living your best life. You can't prevent everything that could potentially cause harm to your body, and you don't know when your times will be up. So I suppose the best way to live is with as little fear and as much joy as possible. Putting that into practice is not at all easy. But if I keep working on it constantly, I think I will always be improving my happiness level. And that is all I can really ask for myself and for anyone else.
