Despair gives courage to a coward.

Threats only work when you have something to lose. Take away everything fear could aim at and it loses its grip, which is why people who have run out of options often do the thing they never dared while they had something to protect. That kind of nerve is real, but borrowed from loss rather than built. It arrives late and does not choose its moment.

You can reach that clarity without the bottom falling out. Ask what you would attempt if the thing you are guarding were already gone, then check whether it is as fragile as it feels. Most of what keeps you cautious would survive the attempt.