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A cool animation by a film student makes a great point about fear.

There's a silver lining.

Vancouver Film School student Nata Metlukh made one very cool animation all about fear. Take a look:

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The animation makes a pretty simple (and helpful) point that's often forgotten: Fear isn't always bad.

See, we all face fear. Fear of critters, fear of heights, fear of losing our jobs, fear of losing small spaces, fear of heartbreaks.


Images by Nata Metlukh.

Many of our fears are associated with negative experiences and feelings.

So we've even come to fear fear itself. And rightfully so: Fear can have bad consequences for us, especially for the nearly 3.3 million American adults who suffer from anxiety.

Severe anxiety is like living with overwhelming fear and dread that stops you from functioning normally day-to-day. That's not a fun way to live. At all. In these cases, fear stops us from living.

But we often forget to ask the question "Why is fear there in the first place?"

Fear alerts us that our body is under siege, and it allows us to respond in ways that protect us. For example, a fear of cars can make us cautious when we go through a crosswalk.

Not having that kind of fear might land us in unfortunate situations.

Fear is an evolutionary emotion that can help us survive.

And studies have shown that fear is a natural part of human evolution that has helped us survive for centuries. For example, a recent study from Columbia University implies that humans evolved to fear spiders over millions of years, which helps protect us from these venomous critters. Other studies suggest that a fear of snakes — which can be cool, but can also kill us! — was an evolutionary trait as well.

So stop beating yourself up for being afraid! And remember: fear isn't always the bad guy. Sometimes, it might just save your life.



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