When you are driving and you see flashing lights, orange cones and caution tape… what do you do? You slow down. You take pause. You assess your surroundings. Sometimes you pull over, but most of the time you continue cautiously.
The world can feel like a scary, or daunting place. And I have noticed something with my clients, with my friends, with myself: There is a lot of fear energy going around. There is a lot of anxiety in the air.
But what is fear?
There are three different ways to look at FEAR:
- This common description of the acronym:
- False Evidence Appearing Real
- Then there is the humorous way of looking at it:
- "F---" Everything And Run
- And then there is the possibility of a mindset change... the one I remind myself when I am in the grips of fear:
- Face Everything And Rise
Although it is uncomfortable, fear is like the body's version of caution tape. It is a physical way of alerting the body to danger. Sometimes there's real reason for fear. Sometimes, the mind can play tricks. It is human to feel fear, just as it is a natural reaction to run (or freeze) from fear. But what if fear wasn't something to run from?
What if fear was a way of your body, of your inner GPS, telling you that you are on to something? Especially when there is change? Or when you are in the process of transition, or transformation? When you are about to have a breakthrough?
A lot of times before there is a breakthrough... there is a breakdown.
I don't want to have an absence of fear. I need that very important warning system in my life. I need that caution tape that tells me to approach carefully. To feel the fear and do it anyway.
I learned to have the opposite of fear. Which is courage. Having courage does not mean you are not afraid, it means you are afraid.... but you are moving forward anyway. What if you listened to your inner GPS, and acknowledged your fear? Fear is an opportunity to grow. But you cannot grow if you run from your fear. Feel it. Face it. And move Forward.
I believe, from my own personal experience and witnessing the journey of my clients, that some fears can be conquered and that staying in the present moment and calm are the secret sauce to success.
Because once your body calms down and your mind gets an opportunity to rest, your energy can do what it is supposed to do, which is to return your system (body-mind-spirit) to a state of balance... and out of fear. And that's how Reiki practice (and the loving support of others) helped me face my fear of driving in 2017 and got me back behind the wheel.
About Andrea Deierlein & Thrive Reiki, LLC: Andrea's work specializes in helping people transform the pain of life challenges and daily adversity through the practice of Reiki. She helps people struggling with stress, anxiety and overwhelm, to relax, calm down and breathe again. Focusing on stress management and the mind-body-connection, her clients shift out of survival mode, build focus and resilience. Connect with her on www.thrivereiki.com or follow her on Instagram @andreadeierlein