"fear"

[jazzfish]

(Yes, I'm deliberately talking about this in a metaphor because I don't want to get distracted by context.)

I don't like cold showers. It's painful to stand under a blast of cold water and it keeps on being painful even after the water stops. It's sufficiently painful that I find it mentally difficult to move enough to wash or rinse. I see no upside to subjecting myself to an ice-cold shower. When that's the only option I will go to great lengths (sponge-bath, say) to avoid it.

Is it at all useful to talk about being "afraid" of cold showers? I'm reluctant to describe it that way even though it's probably accurate. I think that's because we talk of fears in terms of things that one "ought" to face down, as opposed to reasonable responses?

Comments

[firecat]

If "fear" language brings up a lot of Bene-Gesserit-from-Dune nonsense about how all fear is to be faced and conquered, and therefore suggests that you should "get over" your hatred of cold showers by taking more cold showers, then I can see the reluctance.

I don't think of fear that way because I have an anxiety disorder, which means I have enough fear in my life that I have to push through, and refuse to go around subjecting myself to more of it on purpose.

[jazzfish]

... that seems to me to be an eminently good way of looking at it. Thank you!

I think I'm now in the position of needing to work out what to do when I have no choice but to take a metaphorical cold shower. At which point the metaphor has reached the end of its usefulness.