Greet Your Fears

If you are constantly triggered and motivated by fear, you’ll just get more fear out of your experiences. How do you approach doing something that you are frightened of? Feel the fear and do it anyway. Invite the fear in, sit it down for a cup of tea, and get to know it! Fear offers us the extraordinary opportunity to really examine who we are, how we got here, and what we can do about it. Giving your fears a voice begins the course toward understanding them. If you are coming from integrity of mind and body, and your actions are in alignment, you cannot be provoked by fear.

Tackling fear is an ongoing process. Rather than eradicating it, changing your relationship to fear is more constructive. Fear can be an indication of our triggers, and a window into our psyche. When you look at your fears, starting from a state of confidence is essential. Don’t reject your feelings. Look at them calmly and treat yourself with kindness. Handling whatever it is that you are frightened by is a matter of moving through the feeling. You must be patient with yourself. Facing fear is not a test. You may not be ready to give that speech, or ride the bike, or start dating again, but the ability to take small steps toward a goal is all that matters.

External Fear Mongers

The times that we live in create a lot of fear, which if we allow to settle in, can overtake the way we see the world, other people, and ourselves. There’s a flow to dealing with fear that goes against the grain of the media blasts, fear-mongers and information tainted with a negative slant. Achieving that flow is about being pro-active in your consciousness. If you are aware of delusions created in your mind, and how they can seem very real, you can process the truth, your truth, and live with a much more positive mindset when you come up against fear. Instead of the fear causing you to retreat, you see it as a valuable challenge.

We create our reality in our mind, and that is where fear resides. The mind creates delusions that can fool you into thinking they are real.

Letting Go of Fear

You have the ability to let go of a fear, no matter how you came to it or what is influencing you from your past. What practical steps can you take to subdue fear? Identifying what it is exactly, and having a sense of what you need to do to chip away at it, is key. Whether you feel you can begin to make headway to alleviate a fear now, or need to wait until you are ready in the future, you can start charting a course for engaging with the fear and changing the way you feel about it.

• Start believing that your inherent nature is one of confidence.
• Don’t deny fear but don’t feed it with more fear and negativity, as it will grow and worsen.
• Think about whether your fear is really another emotion such as anger, guilt, frustration or hurt.
• Don’t shut down. You can’t obsess about a fear when your mind remains open and clear.
• Look at the bigger picture. You are not your fear. That fear may seem very large, but let it rise and fall as just a part of the landscape of your life.
• Know that worry won’t change the outcome of ANYTHING.
• Try to break familiar patterns of how fear is triggered for you and how you respond to it.
• Even if it’s a small step, take action. If that doesn’t turn out as hoped, have another plan of action ready.
• Attempt to take the focus off yourself by doing something for someone else. Fear can be very selfish and inwardly obsessed. Fill that space that is consumed with fear with a positive deed that is outside of yourself.
• Look for the teachable moment when you feel fear.
• Instead of allowing yourself to be affected by a negative collective consciousness of fear, which is spread by external forces, try to tap into the opposite – the collective consciousness of people who are looking to connect to one another. Fear can divide people. Be mindful of motivations by people and systems that seek to isolate us and have us compete with one another.
• Take care of your overall health. Eat well and get enough sleep. When your body is stressed or depleted, you are less able to cope with fear.

You don’t have to let fear rule you. Some people are not even aware that fear is steering their life. If you know that it is having a negative effect on you, and that you truly want to do something about it, there is a vast amount of wisdom and help available if you take action.

#LLLD

Derek O’Neill, fondly referred to as the Celtic Sage, inspires and uplifts people from all walks of life, offering guidance to influential world leaders, businesses, celebrities, athletes and everyday people alike. Distilled from his life work in psychotherapy, a martial arts career and study with wise yogis and Indian and Tibetan masters, Derek translates ancient wisdom into modern day teachings to address the biggest challenges facing humanity today. For additional insights listen to his free radio archives or order his books on Mindfulness, Anxiety, Stress and Depression.

Image courtesy of Dayne Topkin.