I spoke of fear before: the raw feeling in the pit of the stomach, the cramps, the heart that starts racing without control. But what do we do when we have these feelings and we don’t feel like we are afraid of anything tangible, what to do with the diffuse anxiety that cannot be identified and that just sits there, inside … There are some steps to help relieve the feeling. First of all, we have to come to the realization that the feeling is fear. This could take a while especially if the feeling is diffused and it just sits there like a lump, like a ghost inhabiting you. You don’t even know it is there. You just don’t feel good and you cannot identify why.
And then it clicks. It feels like fear. What am I afraid of? Once you realize you are afraid, it becomes easier to deal with the fear.
The first thing to ask is: What am I afraid of? Am afraid of someone, something, of failure, of success, of a situation? I find it useful to take pen to paper to write down the answers that pop up when I ask the question.
Once you’ve acknowledged what scares you, you have to prepare yourself mentally to deal with the fear. Accept the fact that you are fearful. It is not a sign of weakness. Acknowledging you are fearful, looking at your fear in the eye brings you closer to finding a solution. It is useful to think about ways to deal with the fear. What actions can you take to relieve the apprehension, to feel like there is no longer a danger, a threat? For example if you are afraid of an outcome, write down the steps you can think about that would insure you get the proper result and, above all, take immediate action on the first step. Taking action will instantly relieve some tension as it gives you the feeling you are taking control of the situation. Finally, make the decision to trust your instinct and in what the future will bring you. Make the decision to have faith and stop stressing, knowing you have done everything possible to insure a good result. Some circumstances will always be out of your control. That is life. This is an aspect of life that brings good surprises too
We are all sometimes afraid of the unknown. This is why we try to control our destiny, our life, but we have to welcome the unknown. This is the flow of life. We must not be afraid and continue in our journey of learning. We must open ourselves to what life and circumstances are bringing us and look at opportunities as ways to improve ourselves and our knowledge.
