Things like this de-sensitise you, or at least make you realise that you shouldn’t waste time worrying about things. Life’s too short.
I bet you have been doing stuff like this since, Sandman?
I realize it must have been a horrible experience Sandman, but I would really like to hear the rest of the story if you feel comfortable enough to tell it…peace!
Yup. It kept me off the hills for about three months because I got ice crystals forming in my lungs, but its just what happens sometimes when you go to hostile places. Its winter climbing.
There isn’t any rest of the story. That’s the whole story.
But you’ve never seen yourself perform on stage.
I wish that were true. Video is an evil, evil curse. But that’s not fear – that’s just gut-wrenching embarrassment. 
A near death experience like that can cause a lot of post traumatic stress, Sandman. You sound like you are really coming through it strong. Great job.
I should hope so – it happened nearly 30 years ago!
Anyway, it was no big deal, really, to a 19-year-old fool. Most serious winter climbers have lost climbing partners or know people that have.
Genetics and experience can combine to make you neurotic. Some people are just born nervous. Add to that all kinds of factors like an abusive early home environment, trauma, stress, loss, drug addiction, alcoholism, poor coping skills, lack of education, lack of a social saftey net etc. and your entire nervous system can go on permanent alert. You become just afraid. Not afraid of anything in particular, just afraid. Of course it doesn’t take long for your subconcious to find an object of that fear.
If that paragraph describes you at all I would consider taking as much of a break from unecessary stress as possible. Accept that you don’t need to take on every challenge that comes along and just focus on the things that are satisfying to you physically, socially, emotionally, spiritually. Make friends and express yourself honestly to them. Get lots of rest, lots of excercise and find places where you can enjoy doing absolutely nothing in peace and quiet once in awhile. Your nervous system very likely needs a rest and the frenzied, idiotic noise of city life with it’s televisions, video games, motorcyles doesn’t want to give it to you.
You’ll know when you are rested when you start feeling energetic and clear and start wanting some adventure. Some wild fun. I’ve been through this sort of cycle dozens of times and now see it as a symptom mainly of living in an hyper stimulating environment. Your nervous system wants to be alert and relaxed. You just need to give it a chance to become that way.
Take up sailing.
It does not describe me.
I’m not looking for personal advice. I am interested in the psychology of how people deal with fear and worry. Call it an academic exercise, something I’m curious abuot. Most people answered in that vein, and much appreciated. Some of you folks missed the point, going beyond personal experience and objective observation to deliver advice about dealing with fear. Some people can’t resist the chance to be pedantic 
.
I liked Sandman’s story very much. I’m curious about what thoughts ran through his mind while he was buried and still conscious.
I agree with Bu Lai En re: nothing at all after death. Why worry, if you’ll be entirely free of any conscious thought? I have thought about what one poster fears–that the brain lives on after the body, and my conclusion is that all of the medical research I’ve seen on the subject (one uncle is a brain doctor) negates that possibility. Dead is dead. No brain activity as we know it in life.
A question–some of you are fear free because you’ve seen enough shit to make you realize that nothing is really worth fearing. I can relate–from a young age, I’ve seen death very up close, and in my adult years have encountered my share of loss. It certainly gives you some perspective on life. Is it possible that some of you are fear-free because you’ve never encountered much to be afraid of?
Another question, along the lines of one of bob’s comments–how big a role does personality play in determining a person’s fear quotient? Specifically, does a person who is high-energy tend to be more vulnerable to fear than a person who is laid-back?
I don’t think that’s really it. The emotion is still there, or should I say, whatever it is that starts the adrenaline spurting, but its more, how can I say it? More of an “intellectual” response. After all, you’d need to be seriously dysfunctional NOT to experience fear in certain situations.
For me, the thing is I seem to be able to recognize potential physical danger when it presents itself and I still experience the adrenaline rush that’s so necessary to deal with stuff like that, but I don’t consider it “fear,” rather a kind of feeling that “I need to do something about this situation. Right now!”
And as for my “thoughts” when I was buried? I didn’t really have any that I can recall. I suppose “I’m going to die in a few minutes” was in there, but it was kind of disjointed, like it was happening to someone else, not me. I don’t really recall much in the way of “I wish I’d…” or “If only…”
I DO remember being a bit worried that one individual rather than another would inherit my ancient car. The mind’s a strange thing.
Don’t forget too that I was just a young kid and even more of a moron than I am now.
Early this year I was back from Europe and woke up in the night not breathing and with a crushing pain in my chest. I thought bloody hell this is it. My primary concern right then was that my SO was going to wake up next to a dead body and how horrible that was going to be for her.
If I’d gone then, well, that would have been the last thought done.
It was sleep apnoea. I’d had a sleeping tablet to help the time adjustment.
Yes. I did quote a little bit of information in about the condition from a site dealing with apnoea as I figured it might not be a common term.
Some of us fear the afterlife. We’d rather just die.
:bravo: :bravo:
Fox, that was excellent. Well said.
What I gave you was a description of how fear and worry can become permanent states of being and if that happens to you (meaning anybody) what they might want to try doing about it. Rather pertinent insight into dealing with fear and worry. Some people can’t resist the urge to be rude I guess.
That’s the best part. Just think of death as one of those nights where you don’t remember having any dreams. That’s how I explained death to my son. The final solution awaits for us all. Don’t forget to watch Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life several times before you go. 
FEAR… THIS IS FEAR
Of course you don’t remember. YOU DON’T WAKE UP. Game over, man, game over. It’s the worst thing that could possible happen to you. I’m enjoying it too much to stop playing now.
But anyway, I’ve worked my way up through several levels, avoided the thargs, vanquished snood, and collected several throngdonglies. I’m pretty safely consolidated, at peace with the grebulons, and figured out what the red button is for. I don’t think the game is likely to end soon, so I don’t worry about it. I just have to beware of ducks. (See Zefrank’s game of life for details, and the follow up pessimistic version for people like me.)
I woke up in an ICU unit… was there for several days… never had a jumpstart but came close to having a flat battery hehehehe
Worst thing is being conscious without being able to voluntarily make a sound or move.
I think Loretta needs a near deeath experience to understand that there’s nothing to be afraid of… after all you won’t know it when you’re dead.