28 August

Is all fear really the fear of falling over? Humans need exquisite balance to stay upright, many of us fail and compensate in all sorts of tightly held ways, a lot of them sub-conscious. Falling is one of the greatest risks to our safety, as many older people are acutely aware. As young and healthy and fit people, we can forget just how terrifying it can be to fall. So the fear of falling runs extremely deep in us, as animals. It might seem weird to see all fear as the fear of falling. Fear of spiders, of public speaking, for example - how could they ultimately be the fear of falling? I think because fear is mostly about not being in control of a situation. Of something harming us, that we can’t prevent. To be in control is to be engaged, active in the situation, shaping it the way we need it to be, for us. To be active in that way, you have to be upright and plugged into what’s happening around you, that’s how we’re built. When a situation stresses us, we can lose our poise, which puts us at risk of falling. Our bodies tighten up all over to try to prevent that. That tightening also tightens our breathing, and when the breathing becomes irregular, anxiety and fear start. So that original fear of falling then becomes secondary fears, like fear of spiders, or public speaking, which we think are separate. But it all traces back to that initial fear of falling.