Tammy's Tidbits
Fight or Flight
Fight or Flight
October is upon us, a fight-or-flight type of month. Either you love it or hate it. There doesn’t seem to be a middle ground. On one hand, you may be desperately trying to hang onto the last warm days while on the other hand, you are embracing the cooler weather.
A fun month, for some, while others may dread; desperately looking beyond the Halloween madness tied to October towards a more pleasant holiday to come. And why do you think that is? By now, I’m sure most of you already know the roots of Halloween, so I will not go into the logistics of it.
Personally, it’s my favorite time of the year! It’s when I like to embrace my fear and feed off the excitement it gives me. Call me crazy, but going to corn mazes and being scared, makes me feel more alive than any other time of the year!
Do you think fear can be healthy for us? At a basic level, fear can guide our fight-or-flight response. It can help keep us safe and alive. Fear can also heighten your senses and awareness, making you alert and in better preparation.
So what scares you? Writing in the Horror Genre, I find myself surrounded by many fears to choose from, for a topic to give my readers that fight-or-flight response.
Are you one who likes Vampires and Werewolves? Or perhaps any mythical creature that you can be envious of their powers and yet fear them, at the same time?
What about the paranormal? Ghosts and Goblins. That desire of wanting an afterlife and yet fearing there is one that can come back to haunt you!
Aliens can be like the scenario of the paranormal. Whereas on one hand, it fascinates us to think it may be possible, but yet we are fearful for what that may mean!
Then there are the Serial Killers. Enjoying the stories of the ones caught but fearing the ones still out there!
What about phobias? Fear of heights or spiders, while these are a little harder to relate to, if you do not have the phobia itself – understanding the fear of someone that has it, can make you sympathize and feel thankful you do not have it!
Disasters, such as fires, tornadoes, tidal waves and earthquakes. All of which are fascinating to watch and yet terrifying to think about having to live through.
Perhaps the one common thread to these, is the fear of the unknown! It takes us out of an element of safety and puts us into a situation we have not been in, nor do we truly know how we would react if it was happening to us.
Do you even like to be scared? Most of us will immediately say no! Who in their right mind wants to be scared? But tell me, after you have been scared - how do you feel once you know you are safe?
The first thing, is relief! But as your heart slows down and your breathing goes back to normal, what do you feel? Thankful (but we’ll get into that next month - lol) and ALIVE! Our nerve endings are tingling and we can’t help but laugh or smile knowing it’s over!
Why do we laugh off fear? I like to think there is a fine line between fear and fun. Think about it, when you are enjoying something - do you not have the same tingling of nerves? Are you not laughing as well?
Now granted, I’m talking about “fun fear”. Being afraid of a book, movie, TV show. A friend playing a prank. Riding roller coasters or going to Halloween themed events with our friends. These are “fun fear” situations that can be enjoyed.
But Halloween, or the whole month of October, does not have to be about fear. It can be a time to enjoy the Fall weather, sitting around some nice fires and even having a S’more or two.
Below are some National Holidays to test your fight-or-flight feeling…
October 10th - National Motorcycle Day… Fight-or-Flight? Do you embrace riding a motorcycle or do you fear motorcycles? In my case, I will choose flight! But not in the way you may think. I have my own Harley and that baby can fly! Lol. Flight on my bike with the wind blowing my hair is an amazing feeling I enjoy!
October 14 - National Stop Bullying Day… Fight-or-Flight? This one could be a conundrum. On one hand, fighting is what we are trying to stop! However, flight (or ignoring it) is not something we want either!
October 25th - Chucky, The Notorious Doll Killer Day… Fight-or-Flight? Crazy that we even have a National Holiday for this! OK, I’ll give you that most of us, upon seeing a walking and talking, murderous doll, is going to be prone to flight! But if the doll attacks and it’s your life? Have at it, it’s just a doll after all!
October 27th - National Black Cat Day… Fight-or-Flight? I am an animal lover and the color of an animal never deters me from wanting to get some lovins. However, if it’s a feral, vicious, back from the dead, Pet Semtary black cat - you can count on me taking flight!
October 31st – Halloween… Fight-or-Flight? I’m afraid I’m here to stay - to fight for the right of others, wanting or enjoying, in taking flight!
Bottom line, yes, Halloween can be scary and enjoyed. But it also can be non-scary. No one has to embrace the horror aspect from it, for it can be just as fun to create and decorate in themes non-scary.
I believe Halloween is a time for all of us to get to be something different. To put on a different mask, allowing the freedom of expression. And though we tend to think masks prohibit such freedom, if anything this year, we have learned we will continue to find a way to still be ourselves behind the mask!
Point is, allow yourself to enjoy this time of year. There will be plenty of time to be “thankful” next month. And the “spirit of giving” will come over us before you know it for the next month. But for now, let’s live in the moment. Whether we fight or take flight, feeling alive is what makes it all worth it!
A fun month, for some, while others may dread; desperately looking beyond the Halloween madness tied to October towards a more pleasant holiday to come. And why do you think that is? By now, I’m sure most of you already know the roots of Halloween, so I will not go into the logistics of it.
Personally, it’s my favorite time of the year! It’s when I like to embrace my fear and feed off the excitement it gives me. Call me crazy, but going to corn mazes and being scared, makes me feel more alive than any other time of the year!
Do you think fear can be healthy for us? At a basic level, fear can guide our fight-or-flight response. It can help keep us safe and alive. Fear can also heighten your senses and awareness, making you alert and in better preparation.
So what scares you? Writing in the Horror Genre, I find myself surrounded by many fears to choose from, for a topic to give my readers that fight-or-flight response.
Are you one who likes Vampires and Werewolves? Or perhaps any mythical creature that you can be envious of their powers and yet fear them, at the same time?
What about the paranormal? Ghosts and Goblins. That desire of wanting an afterlife and yet fearing there is one that can come back to haunt you!
Aliens can be like the scenario of the paranormal. Whereas on one hand, it fascinates us to think it may be possible, but yet we are fearful for what that may mean!
Then there are the Serial Killers. Enjoying the stories of the ones caught but fearing the ones still out there!
What about phobias? Fear of heights or spiders, while these are a little harder to relate to, if you do not have the phobia itself – understanding the fear of someone that has it, can make you sympathize and feel thankful you do not have it!
Disasters, such as fires, tornadoes, tidal waves and earthquakes. All of which are fascinating to watch and yet terrifying to think about having to live through.
Perhaps the one common thread to these, is the fear of the unknown! It takes us out of an element of safety and puts us into a situation we have not been in, nor do we truly know how we would react if it was happening to us.
Do you even like to be scared? Most of us will immediately say no! Who in their right mind wants to be scared? But tell me, after you have been scared - how do you feel once you know you are safe?
The first thing, is relief! But as your heart slows down and your breathing goes back to normal, what do you feel? Thankful (but we’ll get into that next month - lol) and ALIVE! Our nerve endings are tingling and we can’t help but laugh or smile knowing it’s over!
Why do we laugh off fear? I like to think there is a fine line between fear and fun. Think about it, when you are enjoying something - do you not have the same tingling of nerves? Are you not laughing as well?
Now granted, I’m talking about “fun fear”. Being afraid of a book, movie, TV show. A friend playing a prank. Riding roller coasters or going to Halloween themed events with our friends. These are “fun fear” situations that can be enjoyed.
But Halloween, or the whole month of October, does not have to be about fear. It can be a time to enjoy the Fall weather, sitting around some nice fires and even having a S’more or two.
Below are some National Holidays to test your fight-or-flight feeling…
October 10th - National Motorcycle Day… Fight-or-Flight? Do you embrace riding a motorcycle or do you fear motorcycles? In my case, I will choose flight! But not in the way you may think. I have my own Harley and that baby can fly! Lol. Flight on my bike with the wind blowing my hair is an amazing feeling I enjoy!
October 14 - National Stop Bullying Day… Fight-or-Flight? This one could be a conundrum. On one hand, fighting is what we are trying to stop! However, flight (or ignoring it) is not something we want either!
October 25th - Chucky, The Notorious Doll Killer Day… Fight-or-Flight? Crazy that we even have a National Holiday for this! OK, I’ll give you that most of us, upon seeing a walking and talking, murderous doll, is going to be prone to flight! But if the doll attacks and it’s your life? Have at it, it’s just a doll after all!
October 27th - National Black Cat Day… Fight-or-Flight? I am an animal lover and the color of an animal never deters me from wanting to get some lovins. However, if it’s a feral, vicious, back from the dead, Pet Semtary black cat - you can count on me taking flight!
October 31st – Halloween… Fight-or-Flight? I’m afraid I’m here to stay - to fight for the right of others, wanting or enjoying, in taking flight!
Bottom line, yes, Halloween can be scary and enjoyed. But it also can be non-scary. No one has to embrace the horror aspect from it, for it can be just as fun to create and decorate in themes non-scary.
I believe Halloween is a time for all of us to get to be something different. To put on a different mask, allowing the freedom of expression. And though we tend to think masks prohibit such freedom, if anything this year, we have learned we will continue to find a way to still be ourselves behind the mask!
Point is, allow yourself to enjoy this time of year. There will be plenty of time to be “thankful” next month. And the “spirit of giving” will come over us before you know it for the next month. But for now, let’s live in the moment. Whether we fight or take flight, feeling alive is what makes it all worth it!