If you've been following me for a while, you'll know that "Run to the fire" is one of many mantras I encourage people to start using.
Why, because fear is often what holds us back from reaching our true potential.
When we hold on to the unknown, our brain will tend to make things up, and most often it will turn to the negative. It's all part of the worry spiral that we know so well, if we worry about something for too long our brain will exaggerate the negative, catastrophising is the term used to describe this process.
We might see an expression on someone’s face and we are unsure of the expression so try to work out the reason for the expression - did I say the wrong thing, were they laughing at me, did they understand what I said - and we continue to try and figure out the cause of the expression.
We all have fears, most of which are learned from events that have occurred in our lives. Therefore, it is natural to assume that all fears can be overcome. Not necessarily so, the good news though is that there are ways to reduce our fears if we can't overcome them.
Here are five ways to reduce or overcome fears;
🦁 Take a tactical breath - stop, take a long slow deep breath, hold your breath while counting inside your head, then slowly breathe out.
🦁 Face your fears - 'run to the fire', the more that you do something that you fear the easier it becomes. Immersion therapy in a controlled fashion allows us to unlearn what has become instinctive responses.
🦁 Feel the fear - don't be afraid of the feeling of fear because that is all it is, a feeling. Basic physics tells us that the harder we push on something, the likely greater the resistance. Feel fear, embrace it, and get accustomed to the feeling. (A cautionary note, if the feelings of fear continue then stop this method)
🦁 Think about fear differently - fear, and the accompanying feeling of nervousness, are designed to keep us safe by increasing our focus. Knowing that fear is merely designed to enhance our abilities, and nothing more, gives us comfort.
🦁 What were the positives - once you have faced your fears, focus on the positives and celebrate your success. This will produce positive chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin and increase your desire to face more of what you fear.
Each of us has fears, some are rational while others are not so. Nevertheless, your fear is very real to you and that must be acknowledged. Know that fear is mostly learned therefore can be unlearned over time.
Whenever our amygdala fires up it scars our hippocampus, our memory bank, so that we will always be alert to the same danger should we have to face it again. That's the reason why it can take some time to smooth out the scar, to repair it.
Run to the fire, or perhaps walk first until running becomes much easier.
Let's talk!
Managing Fears!