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3 Strategies to Push Through Fear
Does fear keep you from doing what you dream of doing? Does it keep you playing small? How is it holding you back?
If you're ready to bust through your fears, then this is the article for you. I have 3 solid strategies that are sure to help you break through fear. On the other side of fear is freedom. Let's build that freedom today.
Strategy #1: Accept that Fear Is Part of Life
Instead of wasting your precious energy on trying to get rid of or avoid fear, start by accepting that it is part of life. Acceptance doesn't mean allowing fear to rule your life. The goal isn't to banish fear. Rather, we want to accept fear and learn how to move forward regardless.
Each one of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or to be limited by the fear of it. -Judy Blume
I don't know about you but I'd much rather learn how to face my fears and live a life full of adventure than to give up on those rich experiences. As long as you continue to push yourself, to experience life, to stretch your capabilities, and take new risks to make your dreams come true, you will experience fear.
The more comfortable you become in your relationship with fear, the easier it will become to cope with it. Understanding that everyone experiences fear can help it feel less daunting to deal with.
Exercise:
Practice sitting with your fears for 2-5 minutes a day. Listen to what fear has to say, take note of how it makes you feel, and then release that experience and do something that brings you peace.
Strategy #2: Take Action!
The only way to get through fear is by taking action. Our fears dissolve once we take action and confront them. In the action of doing the fear melts away. While fear will always be there, particularly when we are facing the unknown, the goal is to take action anyway. On the other side of fear is freedom. In facing our fears, we find freedom.
After my concussion, I was so afraid to get on my bike. Even though the accident had nothing to do with cycling, I was terrified I might fall. I was afraid I'd have permanent brain damage. After letting my brain heal, I knew I had to get back out on my bike. I love cycling. I knew I didn't want fear to run my life. It was scary but once I was back on the road it was so rewarding.
Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to concquer fear, do not sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy. -Dale Carnegie.
If you're afraid of something, find one small action you can take to bust through that fear. What step are you going to take today to face your fears?
Strategy #3: Realize that Pushing Through Fear is Less Scary than Staying in Your Current State
In facing our fears, we banish the noisy mental chatter of "what if" or "I should have". And when we are living in a state of constant fear there are a lot of "what if's" playing out in our minds.
Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay... -Thich Nhat Hanh
Each time we experience the storyline of a negative what if, to our brain's it's as if we are actually experiencing it. It releases negative hormones and puts us in a state of stress. The only path forward is to face the fear. In doing so, you'll find that facing your fears is a lot less scary than living in a state of helplessness or from a place of victimhood.
Exercise:
Identify one fear. Then make a list of all the what if's that you've been wrestling in your mind. Dial up the painfulness of these storylines. Dial up the suffering you will experience if you stay in this land of what if forever. Once you feel the full exhaustion of this for a moment, release that. Now that you fully understand the suffering that fear puts you through, identify one step you can take forward that will allow you to face and push through your fear.
Action Steps:
- Sit with these new ways of looking at your fears. Write down what resonates most with you.
- Do the exercises.
- Most importantly, take action to move forward and through your fears.
Please share any wins or new tools you are using to show up committed, empowered, and in action.
Need Support?
Sometimes this process can feel daunting. Some of us may need more one on one help. Most of my clients feel this way. I am here to partner with you in creating attainable action steps side by side to get you to your desired destination. Schedule a complimentary Total Transformation Discovery session with me today!
Some Resources to Support You:
- Register today for the Confusion to Clarity Masterclass!
- Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers
