Fear – like all our emotions – gives us information.
It can warn us, keep us safe and alert to danger. It can help us prepare and prevent disasters. It can empower us to take appropriate action when needed either to avoid a calamity or to correct behaviors.
Fear is good when it protects us from real danger
Worry and nagging anxieties can alert us to stop, step back and ask ourselves relevant and significant questions. It can reveal things we need to know about ourselves.
Do our goals need clarification or refining? What am I not doing that I should be doing? This may be a time for some honest soul searching. Am I being the kind of person I want to be?
Fear is not helpful when it becomes a giant obstacle that keeps us from developing the confidence we need to step out and face adversity.
We may fear success as well as failure. We may fear rejection or being taken advantage of. We may fear getting hurt in relationships. We may fear making a mistake that will cause us to appear foolish or lose our jobs or be judged unfairly.
When we address our fears with honesty and sincerity we can redirect our actions and motivations.
As we peel away the layers of our fears, hidden beliefs that compromise our ability to take that next step are revealed. We may experience an “A-hah” moment where parts of our life puzzle become clear and we are given the opportunity both for understanding and to make needed corrections. It is where we find humility and responsibility.
Fears can become insurmountable mountains that begin as tiny rivers of doubt and anxiety. As they flow into our river of consciousness they grow to gigantic proportions. These are often fed by past messages and life experiences that imprison us.
While fears may start from a legitimate source, when we obsess over them instead of meeting their challenge, they soon become exaggerated and excessive.
Don’t let your fears control you.
Unrealistic and exaggerated fears are simply paper dragons that have grown fat on negative thoughts and core beliefs that undermine our worth.
Recognize the fears that have become paper dragons. Deflate them by challenging negative self talk. Reframe situations so you are not held captive by them.
Fears are good when they keep us safe. Fears are not good when they keep us from taking the next step out of an unwanted change, loss or adversity.
©2013 Marlene Anderson