Fear is not just a feeling if understood and used wisely. It’s a tool which can prove useful and lethal at the same time. In fear, a person makes choices and falls back to their true self for survival. It brings out those characteristics and actions which may have comforted the person.

It is often frowned upon in the regular life, but it is the fear of death and extermination which got humanity as far as it is today. Instilling fear among people sends out a message, it divulges them from their usual course of action, even though there may not be any immediate threat to them, but it’s the psyche which motivates them to do so.

Fear among the community driven by narratives can result in bizarre events and development. Leveraging such vulnerabilities can be used to do harm as well as good, depending on the situation and context, and also the intent of the one leveraging the same.

Depending on the personality and character, a person may react differently to fear. We can usually ascertain who they really are in these situations, because it makes them act in the most natural and non-filtered way as possible. If someone is able to deal with fear very calmly, then either they have great control over themselves, or have accepted the situation for what it is and are rationalizing for the best possible outcome. One should observe such individuals carefully.

However, in the right set of circumstances, fear can be used to create a false sense of reality. To some extent, people lose conscious rationality in times of fear, driven by the “fight or flight” response because of the adrenaline rush. That’s normal, and to some extent can be controlled through practice. Regardless of that fact, you may find yourself driven by emotions than reason in times of fear. A person who knows what they’re doing, will take advantage of this situation to shape the narrative in their favor and win the person’s trust, and set a particular benchmark subsequently.

One of the many ways to deal with fear is gaining control over yourself through your emotions. A rational mind is the most dangerous when it conquers emotions. It can be done through deliberate attempts to soothe yourself, meditation and deep breathing practices. Gaining composure and assessing the situation with an active mind gives more clarity. Ascertain the possible consequences of the situation, how the situation began, could it have been controlled or not, can it be controlled still, and whether your action needs to be prompt or delayed. Answering these questions gives answers to more subsequent questions, giving further clarity.

Another way is to be prepared. Not everyone can be prepared for anything, but understanding that something can always go wrong, prepares the person for the worst and keeps them alert. So, when something actually happens, the person is able to act based on instinct and not pure adrenaline. This is something that requires a lot of thinking, and is not recommended for people who go down a rabbit hole in their thought process.