I’d genuinely thought that ‘fight or fright’ thing was a motivational macho motto meant to shake up anyone who ‘froze’ at the first sign of danger. I suppose it’s only when you’re faced with a truly horrible situation do you ever get to realise that there is real meaning in the phrase.
My horrible situation was a financial crisis (yes, I know health comes before wealth but I’m talking: a stay-awake-at-night-can-I-provide-for the kids type of brick wall). My initial reaction, I’m embarrassed to say, was 100 per cent pure, genuine, solid-rock fright.
The lunacy of the situation was that now, more than ever, did I need to work, work, work and squeeze every creative juice into action but I was too paralysed with shock to put one word in front of the other – which is a huge obstacle with writing being my profession.
There are people you can talk to when you feel….well, weak and useless. They are friends and members of your family (who aren’t going to solve your problems by shoving money into your bank account) but can talk the fight back into you.
None of mentioned the fight or fright syndrome, by the way, it’s only just occurred to me now and I realise that you don’t have to be in a ‘fright’ or ‘fight’ category – you might have to go through one to reach the other.
Nor am I writing from a position of ‘everything’s all right now’ position. I do need to ‘voice’ the obvious that fighting is the by far less frightening option in moments of panic and, of course, it has the upside of potentially positive outcome. Hiding away under the bedclothes, which may seem an attractive option, is certain to avoid any positive results.
