Fighting Back Against the Monsters Under the Bed: Reclaiming Our Power!

I'm using the "Monsters under a bed" idea to show how personal fears work. Even though our fears can look different, they're all about things that worry us. For example, I'm not scared of public speaking I just don't like it, not because I'm afraid. But I am truly scared of elevators – they look different but really scare me. Your fears might be different, but they scare you just like mine scares me. This shows how unique our fears are. It's like in the movie "Monster’s Inc" where kids are scared of their own monsters.

Thinking about my sister Brigid's fear of getting a flat tire, she made it clear that she often imagined being stuck because of a flat tire. I used to think this was bad for her, but she saw my fear of elevators in a similar way. I used to believe fear came from not knowing how to change a tire, but looking inside myself, I saw that my fear of elevators isn't because I don't know about them. If I had never seen an elevator before, I might not be so scared. This shows how fears can be tricky and tied to feeling unsure about ourselves.

When I think more about my sister's fear, it's clear that she's afraid because she doesn't know how to change a tire. Similarly, people who fear public speaking might worry they're not good at it. For me, my fear of elevators comes from worrying that their parts might break. I know a lot about mechanical stuff because I have a degree in mechanical engineering I am aware of the gears and the counter weights. I have heard stories of people stuck in elevators makes me even more scared, either of being stuck with others or alone. Other worries, like needing the bathroom or getting hungry. I am not the best version of myself when hungry. All these fears go through my mind. So, every time I get on an elevator, I start counting how many people are with me. This shows a lot about what I'm feeling inside and how my fear works. But it's important to know that even if some people think my fear is silly, it's really important to me. I'm determined to face and beat this fear, working hard to deal with it. This shows how strong I can be in fighting my own "monsters," even if they seem weird to others.

In an article from Jan 2023 there was a list on how to manage fears and the first item was “Take time out. It's impossible to think clearly when you're flooded with fear or anxiety.” On the list was also ”Look at the evidence” and “Talk about it.” There were other items on the list but these were the most helpful to me. Mostly people ride in elevators all the time and bad stuff doesn’t happen and me worrying about it simply will not stop it from happening and talking about my FEAR. Talking about the thing gives it less power over us. Acknowledging that yes we know there is a monster but we need to do the thing, drive across town or travel to the 15th floor, we do small things in-spite of the fear.