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Safety Is an Inside Job

Feeling safe means being self-assured and knowing that we are creating the emotional safety within ourselves
Elisabeth Villiger Toufexis

Elisabeth Villiger Toufexis

4 Min Read

When I was a tour guide years ago, I often travelled to countries where one had to be careful about what to eat and what to drink. Some people already asked me at the departure airport about it and during the flight again, and I could be practically sure that those were the people, who would end up being sick. They had programmed their subconscious mind that they would catch something and most of them did, whereas in all my years of travelling, I was never careful and nothing ever happens to me. I always believed and still do that everything is working out for my highest good.

We live in a fear based reality, news coverage and social media all send a constant message that people should be afraid. We all know people who are afraid of everything, and as soon as something bad happens in the world they immediately start to panic; people who always think of the worst-case scenario and that bad things will happen to them? Do you know that when we feel the emotion of fear, our hypothalamus gives the order to release a stress hormone called Cortisol which weakens our immune system, our digestive system and slows down our alertness? Feeling unsafe makes us feel unstable and out of balance and we become more vulnerable. Fear distorts emotions and often leads to poor decisions.

Chances that we end up in a terrorist attack are statistically 50 times lower that dying in a car crash whereas chances of dying in a plane crash are one in 11 Million compared to one in 5000 in a car or traffic accident.

What can we do to feel safer?

  • Believe in ourselves
  • By believing in ourselves and telling ourselves that we can do this, we become more grounded. We realize that no matter what comes our way, the sun will rise again tomorrow and life will go on. When we feel balanced, nothing in the world can rock our boat. Once we understand that it is now what happens to us but how we react to it, we become very empowered.
  • Accept uncertainty
  • No matter how careful we are and how much we protect ourselves, we can never be totally sure that nothing will happen to us. The feeling of safety is a choice, accepting uncertainty can be very liberating and help us worry less and enjoy our life more; it helps us face our fears and do all those fun things that we want to do but have always been afraid of.
  • Live in the present moment
  • Our complete power is only available when we are fully present. What is the point in wasting the present moment by worrying about the future that is never guaranteed? What is the point of wasting the present moment by worrying about what happened in the past which cannot be changed? Being here in the now is the safest moment we will ever have that no one can take away from us.
  • Practice Gratitude
  • When we are grateful for our safety, the universe will give us more of it. There is always something to be grateful for and while we practice gratitude our brain has the capacity to increase important neurochemicals such as dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin. These all contribute to the feeling of connection which make as feel safe.
  • Stop watching the news
  • Do you know that your subconscious mind does not understand the difference between reality and fiction. When you hear bad news and start worrying, it reacts and produces stress hormones which are harmful even if you find out later on that the news was fake, the damage to the body is done. You are not a better citizen when you watch the news, there are other ways to get informed, we don’t need to know everything the second it happens.

I hope that you will always be safe.

Author(s)

  • Elisabeth Villiger Toufexis

    Life Coach, NLP Practitioner, Author, Motivational Speaker

    I am the author of the book “The Soul Kit” and a Life Coach, NLP Practitioner and Motivational Speaker. My life purpose is to add value to people’s lives and brighten the path of those who are a little lost in the dark.  I am originally from Switzerland but live in Cyprus with my husband, and we have two grown up children. I speak 6 languages and also work as an interpreter. I found out very early in life that if we want to achieve something, we have to take action and not wait for someone else to do it for us. Life doesn't happen to us, we make it happen. I had a bit of a tough beginning, my mother was 16 years old when she gave birth to me and wanted to give me up for adoption, my grandfather insisted to take me home and I grew up with my grandparents but unfortunately when I was 10 years old, my grandfather died. I felt a lot of insecurity and shame and spent many years feeling quite lost and worth less than others but was determined to achieve something in my life. When I started understanding that we are in charge of our life and that it’s entirely up to us how we want to create it and that we must never allow our past to define our future, I started creating a wonderful life for myself. As a young woman, I worked as a tour guide in many different countries all over the world and learned about other cultures and mentalities, I learned that even though we may look different and speak different languages, we are all the same, with the same needs, wishes and dreams, and that we all have the need for safety and happiness. I have travelled to over a hundred countries, and I love to get to know people, appreciating similarities and respecting differences while bringing out the best in each other.