Fear

mindmastery

UNLOCK YOUR POTENTIAL

FEAR - Is it ruling you?

FEAR – that’s the biggie that holds us back from doing all the things we really want to do, whether that’s jumping out of an aeroplane or taking a new career path or simply saying ‘hi’ to a stranger we’d like to get to know better. Fear limits us in so many ways.

I’m not saying that all fear is bad. Fear is a necessary emotion for our survival. Without fear, the human race would have died out a long time ago. But often those fears are rooted in our insecurities rather than being based on genuine threats to our survival. That’s when they start to limit us. If we let our fears rule us, then we stagnate.

So how do we move through our fears to live the lives we really want? As Mark Twain once said “Courage is resistance to and mastery of fear – not the absence of fear”. First you need to recognise and acknowledge your fears. Notice where you feel your fear – for many people it is a feeling in the stomach or possibly a tightness in the chest. Acknowledge that you are feeling fearful and accept it. Tell yourself “It’s ok to be fearful”. This may sound counterproductive but when we resist something, we actually increase it.

There is a fine line between what we call fear and what we call exciting and sometimes it’s a matter of interpretation. There is an old saying, “If you can name it, you can tame it”, and that is certainly true of our fears. Too often we stumble along without taking a moment to think about what is happening.

So, as soon as you become aware of a fear that is holding you back, use the STOP steps to help you manage it.

Stop what you are doing.

Take a breath. Focus on your breathing. This helps to steady your mind.

Observe – Where are you feeling the tension in your body? What about your posture? Then notice your emotions and name them. Bring your awareness to the thoughts, pictures or self-talk in your mind.

Proceed – What is really important right now? What can you do to help you move forward?

This helps you to detach from your fears and see them in a different perspective. Another useful tool for doing this is to consciously re-define the fear and acronyms are a great way to do this. Here are my favourites:

False Expectations Appearing Real

Face Everything And Recover

For Everything A Reason

So when I feel fearful, I use these acronyms to overcome my fear and help me move forward through the block. I look for opportunities in the situation that I may have overlooked because I was so focused on my fear.

I’m including a list of acronyms for fear or you can come up with your own. Whatever works best for you in your particular situation!

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

~ Albert Einstein

Acronyms for FEAR:

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