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Lupus harms and inflames the body by incorrectly identifying damaged cells.
What if I told you fear of failure works the same way?
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
Part 1: False Alarms
I’m sure you’re familiar with the phenomenon of fear of failure, but—before I explain lupus—let’s briefly review the topic.
Fear of failure, also known as atychiphobia, is an intense, deep worry about not measuring up to an expectation or—in other words—“failing.” “Failure” itself can mean anything that’s not one’s ideal outcome of a situation, whether it's a lower grade than expected on a test or a lack of a favorable reaction to a performance.
Everyone experiences the fear of failure.
It’s an evolutionary survival mechanism that is intended to help you avoid rejection, which, centuries ago, meant death in some tribes. However, the fear becomes a threat to health and growth when it creates a persistent barrier that prevents you from taking risks or even completing everyday tasks. Fear of failure is the root issue of many overachiever behaviors, but it almost always disguises itself as perfectionism or procrastination.
Now, what exactly is lupus?
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Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes the immune system (the body’s defense against infection) to mistakenly attack its own healthy cells and tissues.
These recurring attacks are called flares—as with many other autoimmune diseases—and although they are meant to help (because the immune system believes it is eliminating dangerous cells) they cause inflammation and, sometimes, permanent damage to organs throughout the body.
The most accepted cause of these flares is a failure of cellular cleanup; if the body does not properly remove dead or damaged cells, it can trick the immune system into a cycle where the system constantly searches for cellular threats and ultimately “overshoots” by targeting healthy cells. The more these faulty attacks occur, the more the symptoms of lupus – such as muscle pain, rashes, and heart/kidney/lung inflammation and pain – progress.
The most common and severe type of lupus is Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), which can randomly affect any organ or system in the body. However, lupus is notoriously difficult to diagnose because it often hides behind the symptoms of other diagnoses, especially other autoimmune diseases.
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So, if you haven’t already noticed the similarities between fear of failure and lupus, here’s what I meant by my comparison in the beginning of the article:
Both fear of failure and lupus are self-sabotaging defense mechanisms that misidentify a healthy part of growth for a threat.
Just as fear of failure is often mistaken for procrastination or perfectionism, lupus is often mistaken for similar diseases.
Just as the autoimmune response of lupus is a well-intentioned attempt of removing danger that develops into a harmful process, fear of failure is a healthy survival mechanism only when it is not “overshooting” potential threats.
And, most importantly, much like a diffusive flare compromises the body one system at a time, the fear of failure quietly erodes your ambition, leaving you completely vulnerable to the single, devastating trigger that brings it all crashing down…
To be continued :)
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