People’s fears generally fell into two categories. First, there are survival fears: fear of death, fear of heights, fear of losing a loved one or not making enough money to provide for your family. These kinds of fears are what author Karl Albrecht calls “extinction” fears.
Then there are perception fears: the fear of failure, embarrassment, or missing out on life experiences (that is, FOMO). These fears fall under the category of “ego-death,” which Albrecht calls a “shattering or disintegration of one’s constructed sense of lovability, capability, and worthiness.”
Simply recognizing them for what they are can help us create some distance between ourselves and our emotions, allowing for more clear-headed thinking.
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