3 simple steps to start acknowledging, accepting and living with your modern day fears.
FEAR! We’ve all experienced it. Even the word FEAR invokes terror (especially if I keep capitalising it).
You have known fear and your natural, physiological responses exist for your survival. You’ve heard of the ‘fight of flight’ response, I’m sure. The problem is, that response is a few hundred years out of date.
It worked AMAZINGLY well for survival but often times, for most of us, there is no immediate danger. You no longer live in the jungle fending off dinosaurs (man and dinosaurs co-existed, right?) and wondering where your next meal may come from.
On my journey I was always riddled with self-limiting beliefs. “Jon, you’re not good enough!” Or “Who will ever listen to you”? My favourite “you don’t deserve true happiness, who are you?” My fear was VERY powerful. It consumed me. Stopped me in my tracks. That is how powerful and limiting it can be.
Perhaps some of these resonate with you?
I decided to accept my fear and listen to my intuition. I left a 14 year career in IT to teach what you are reading today. If I let my ‘flight’ get the best of me that would NEVER have happened.
Truth is it took me many years to overcome these fears. Do I still have the doubts? Of course I do. Fear will never go away and we should thank it. However, we now have the ability to accept it, bow to it and realise that it is not your truth. It serves a purpose but it does not control you.
Try this exercise next time you feel the FEAR sneak up on you. It could be that you have a big meeting or presentation. Perhaps a date you are going on, a bill you don’t want to open or a conversation with a loved one that you know will be particularly fear based or emotional.
1. Thank the fear – Bow to it. It is there to protect us.
2. Feel the fear – Where is it in your body? Maybe your jaw or stomach. Perhaps it takes the form of tension in your shoulder. What colour is it? Does it have a particular shape or vibration.
3. Stay with the fear – Accept the fear and watch it slowly shrink, fade, disappear.
Did you try it? How do you feel?
Doing this for just 90 seconds whenever fear arises can lead to a huge shift!
Never run from your fear (tigers and fires are BIG exceptions).
All of life’s thrills live on the other side of fear.
Breathe. Smile. Live.