How do we get over our fears? The following is a list of 10 frightening experiences which resulted in seeing “my life flash before my eyes.”
I can count on two hands, the number of times I have been petrified, in my life.
First time: The first was when I was rushed to the hospital by my parents because I was passing out. I had had terrible abdominal pain for months, on and off, and the pain had gotten to the point of being excruciating. After undergoing emergency surgery, I learned I was born without a vagina.
Second time: Another time was during my drinking days. I had a loaded gun to my head and my finger on the trigger. I was afraid to live but was just as afraid to die.
Third time: The third time I can remember thinking I might die was when I underwent my caesarean and the anesthesia hadn’t quite taken hold when they cut me open. I could feel them working on me and vomited when I was supposed to be lying still. I had just signed papers that said I knew I would be paralyzed if I moved within six hours of having the spinal.
Fourth time: The fourth time, I wasn’t worried about dying myself, but I was thinking my kid was dead. My heart flew into my stomach when my daughter’s lips turned blue, her eyes rolled back in her head and I couldn’t feel a pulse.
Fifth time: The fifth time was like out of a science fiction movie and for a minute I thought the world was coming to an end. A truly frightening event was my experience with termites mating.
Six time: The sixth time I remember being petrified and thinking I was going to die was right after the airline stewardess put in the in-flight movie and the movie started and then it stopped. The power in the plane had been lost and we were at 35,000 feet.
Seventh time: The seventh time I thought I might be ending my time on earth was when I started spotting during my second pregnancy in my 3rd month. I was built weird and had an inkling that the miscarriage might be life threatening and it could have been, had I gone home from the ER, as was suggested.
Eight time: The eighth time I got to live my life on instant replay was the time I had to run from the bear.
Ninth time: I can’t say the ninth time I thought I was going to die, but I definitely didn’t think I was going to live. It was the first time I got on stage with my band and my stomach was a total party pooper.
10th time: The 10th scariest incident that occurred in my life, so far, was the day I got wrapped in a blue sheet of waterproofed paper 40 feet up in the air on a ladder with my arms stretched and pinned over my head.
How do we get past our fears?
Some people choose to be in the line of danger every day, with their work or volunteer efforts. Others choose to stay as far away from danger as they can, and it still can creep up on them.
Have you ever wondered why our brains “flash our lives before our eyes” during moments of fear?
One theory is that the brain is desperately searching for something to help get us through that danger, such as a result that worked out, from our typical fight or flight responses.
I can’t say that my entire life flashed before my eyes, each and every time I was in a scary situation, but I can say I did get a profound vision. It was almost as if my eyes were blocked and I was seeing with my mind’s eye, vivid snippets of my life. Things that were important to me at the time, and how those things revolved around the particular situation at hand.
Our approach
Facing the things we fear by educating ourselves, finding ways to deal with and overcoming those obstacles, relying on others, makes us stronger. Working through problems and tribulations brings about self confidence and happiness. We cannot always prevent dangerous situations from occurring, but when we find our “lives flashing before our eyes”, do we have good thoughts, or do we have regrets?
The trick, I think, is to do the best we can with what we have each day. When we learn from our mistakes, and above all, keep trying, eventually we push through our fears and reach a confident, other side.
