NFL teams do it; other sports teams operate by it; corporations cross over into territories of ethical lapses because of it; and, all in all, it is probably a genetic trait from prehistoric times which triggers us into what is commonly known as “survival mode”. Fear triggers a biochemical response in our bodies where the rush of adrenaline infuses and sharpens every instinct in our being, and we react in either a “fight” or “flight” mode. The quick-reaction force that compels our bodies and minds to act in order to overcome the fear, is probably a healthy response, and necessary for survival.
It is when such a mode of living becomes chronic, and where we operate by such means over an extended period of time, that it becomes obsessional and likely unhealthy. The survival instinct is there within us in order to repel and overcome the flashing lights of danger; it is not meant to become a way of living.
For Federal employees and U.S. Postal workers who suffer from a medical condition such that the medical condition prevents the Federal or Postal employee from performing one or more of the essential elements of one’s Federal or Postal job, if the continuation of your work involves the constant operation of working for fear of losing your job despite the impact of your medical conditions upon the capacity to do so, contact a FERS Attorney who specializes in Federal Disability Retirement Law and consider whether or not filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits might not be the best avenue to calm those survival instincts, and get rid of that mode of operating by fear.
Sincerely,
Robert R. McGill, Esquire
OPM Disability Retirement, Et Cetera… 