What do you fear?  Maybe the best way to deal with it is to lean into it.

It was minus ten degrees this past week – not unusual for winter in New Hampshire. Those of us accustomed to this climate know that we must be aware of two consequences: frostbite and hypothermia.

Exposed flesh freezes quickly when the temperature dips below zero (F). The likelihood increases dramatically when you add wind to the equation.  Freezing flesh kills it, leaving dead or damaged tissue when it is re-warmed.

If the body itself cools down below a certain point, critical functions are at risk and begin to shut down.  This is called hypothermia.  Without warming death is inevitable.

A survival technique I learned in Outward Bound years ago requires you to burrow in the snow to stay warm.  It is counterintuitive, a fact that has a great lesson to teach us about life and our fears.  One day I built an igloo out of blocks of snow and ice and slept in it that night.  The temperature outside dropped to -15 (F).  The temperature inside the igloo was 15 degrees.  While I was dressed warmly for my experiment, those 30 degrees could be the difference between life and death for someone less prepared.

I dare say few of us will try this stunt.  On the other hand, every one of us faces harsh realities and the consequences of our fears.  The lesson here may be: rather than let our fears freeze us, we should lean into them in order to reduce their hold on us.