Fears that annoy

Feeling fear is in our nature, it is normal. There are fears that protect us, as when we are in the presence of a fire and we try to get away from the place. But there are others that appear for no apparent reason and make life difficult for us.

I remember that as a child I was very afraid of the dark, I did not dare to walk in dark places. I saw the shadows and imagined the most terrible things. It was torture for me when my parents sent me to look for something in a dark area of the house, and I suffered a lot when there was a power outage.

That fear has accompanied me throughout my life. However, in adulthood I have managed to control it quite a bit. My method to fight it has been to face it, not to shy away from it. I intentionally expose myself to the darkness and force myself to think that nothing there can hurt me.

This type of fear has not been so difficult for me to overcome.

But there is another fear that I find more complicated, and that is the fear of dogs. I don't remember any traumatic experience in my childhood that made me afraid of dogs. I don't know why I'm afraid of them, but it makes me very anxious to walk in places where there are loose dogs.

The problem with that fear is that dogs smell it. Fear in humans produces adrenaline and that smell seems to excite dogs. So the more afraid you are of them the more likely they are to attack you.

In my case this is not a completely irrational fear, it does not prevent me, for example, from going out in the street, nor do I get paralyzed if a dog attacks me.

Sometimes I look at them and I see in them the intentions of getting angry with me. If I have the opportunity I take a stone from the ground and hold it in my hand, that in most cases is enough to dissuade them. The truth is that they have never bitten me, but they have approached me barking furiously.

My walking site is near my house, it is an area where there are usually loose dogs. I almost never go for a walk without a small stick in my hands, I carry it as protection against dogs. Sometimes I forget it and go back to look for it because I know that if I go on my walk it will not be pleasant, I will be afraid all the time.

I can tolerate other animals like cockroaches, spiders or rats. I am not afraid of them, but I am a little bit disgusted, disgusted, another feeling that can also be very annoying.

At this stage of my life a new fear has appeared, more related to the conditions of my country, I am afraid of getting sick and not being able to be properly cared for. Someone living in a "normal" society may not understand this very well, it is understandable...

But it is not exaggerated to feel this fear in a country like mine where public health is very bad and private health is practically impossible to afford.

When I was young I never felt this kind of fear and I was always able to find the resources to take care of my parents when they got sick, but things have changed....
Unlike fear of the dark or fear of dogs where I can take some actions to deal with them, with the latter fear there is little I can do...

I try is not to think too much about the matter because I understand that it is something completely useless. The situation does not depend on me, I cannot control it, and consequently there is very little I can do...But this fear is out there latent...

This is my entry to the challenge proposed by friend @galenkp for week 157.

Thanks for your time.