“When a person’s desire outweighs his fear, success becomes inevitable” ~Unknown

Every Thursday is Thoughtful Thursday when I post a quote or thought for all of us to ponder.

10 Ways to Handle Fear:

1.) Create clarity by questioning your limiting beliefs and the fear. A limiting belief is based on fear not truth. Understanding and clarifying it is helpful to handle fear. The ‘snake’ you see may really be a rope.

2.) Embrace the Fear . Realize fear can be a natural reaction to change or to facing an unknown situation–acknowledge it and confront the cause. Don’t resist it. What does the situation MEAN to you? Your interpretation of the remarks made or situation faced, determines the emotional impact.

3.) Take Responsibility for how you feel. Stop waiting for life to deal you a better hand, or for people in your life to change. Move away from being the victim.

4.) Spend time out in nature. Walk barefoot in the grass, walk or bicycle through the woods, beaches or mountains. Breathe fresh air deeply into your lungs.

5.) Walk Through the Fear or take it with you. See the fear-making risk as something that allows you to feel alive, brings you closer to living your possibilities. We often fear taking risks because we don’t want anyone to see our weaknesses. We may view them as permanent flaws and are afraid others will too. Remember we are not perfect, but evolving human beings. Taking even the smallest risk strengthens our self-empowerment muscles and diminishes the primal fears of being humiliated and abandoned.

6.) Stay in the Moment. Regretting the past and worrying about the future fuels the fire of fear. To help stay present, take deep belly breaths slowly, and bring both hands in front of you, and look at them. This connection with your body keeps you grounded in the moment. Most people feel that if something happened in the past, it will keep happening. This is not true.

7.) Practice Visualization. Simply, when you start visualizing, see yourself actually doing the feared task. Flex the muscle of your imagination to actually see and feel what it is like to live a courageous life. Making a habit of visualization conquers fear in a very direct way.

8.) Ask, “What does this challenge mean to me?” Once you are consciuos of the meaning you give to situations, you can question its validity. What story do you tell yourself? Ask what meaning you are giving to the situation.

9.) Persist in the face of fear. Don’t give up. Do not take it personally. If you need a counselor, coach or a partner to take you into the fear, find them.

10.) Focus on what you want and take action, even if baby steps. The more time you spend focusing on want you want, the less time you have to be fearful. (Although doing what you want can often be fearful as you break out of old patterns of stalemate.)

Each time we look fear in the eye and get through it, we gain strength, courage and confidence.

How do you handle fear?

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You are welcome to reprint, copy, or distribute Lenora Boyle’s article, provided author credit is included.