Have you ever caught yourself ruminating on fearful thoughts?
Those times when self-doubt kicks in and says, “I’m not good enough’’ or “I can’t do that.”
Fearful thoughts are debilitating, they can hold you back from taking that leap to pursue your dreams, making you feel helpless or stuck in situations.
When you live in fear, you feel small and restricted. Fear blocks you from living life to your full potential.
The good news is you don’t have to allow fear to rule your life. You have the power to shift your mindset from fearful to fearless.
Understanding Fear
The most important point when working through fear is to understand how fear exists in your mind. When you learn to understand fear, you can begin to transform it.
In the past fear consumed my whole life. My mind was constantly filled with self-doubt, anxiety, stress and panic. I found it difficult to make decisions and felt like a victim of my mind.
Eventually I began questioning the validity of the fears arising in my mind and concluded that most of my fears were irrational. The more attention I gave to fearful thoughts, the more my fears increased, it was a vicious cycle.
I realised that I had a choice. I could continue putting energy into validating these fears, or I could stop allowing them to control my life.
It’s important to remember that fear is a normal human response to perceived danger, it serves a purpose. Tom Morris explains, “The purpose of fear is to make us act.”
You have the power to decide how you choose to act on fear.
Will you choose to stay stuck? Or will you choose to take action?
Making the Shift from Fearful to Fearless
“Move but don’t move the way fear makes you move.’’
Rumi
1. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a powerful tool for noticing when fearful thoughts arise. You can learn to be in control of your thoughts, you have a choice in what you believe.
You might be thinking, how can I possibly control my thoughts?
The answer is simple. Start paying attention and redirect your thoughts.
Mindfulness is the art of observing thoughts and feelings without judgement. Notice the thoughts that arise throughout your day. When fearful thoughts surface, pause and pay attention to your response. Do you become anxious? Does your body become tense?
Notice what happens, instead of ruminating on these thoughts or labelling them as “bad’,’ just let them arise. Pausing and noticing the pattern of these thoughts takes the focus off the fear itself, which lessens its power.
This process allows you to be in control of fearful thoughts because they no longer hold the power to control you. The more you practice this technique, the stronger your mind will become at eradicating fearful thoughts.
2. Question the Fear
When fearful thoughts arise, question them.
Ask yourself, is this fear valid? Do I want to allow this fear to control me?
Fear is often magnified in our mind. This is because of the stories we create around particular fears. When fear arises, it’s easy to get caught up in stories that validate the fear, that’s why it’s important to question yourself.
When you question the fear, you break the story.
This process will help to stop fear-based thoughts in their tracks. It gives you the opportunity to change your story by replacing fearful thoughts with empowering ones.
3. Start Taking Action
Fear can fool you into believing that you’re stuck, it can cause you to feel paralysed. That’s why it’s important to start taking action and challenging this belief.
Remember, the majority of fear you experience is created in your mind, it’s only a story.
Instead of thinking, “I can’t” shift your thoughts to “I can’’ and then go for it.
Ask yourself, what small steps can I take today to help me overcome my fears?
You might decide to try out a new hobby or start working on the blog you have always dreamed of creating. It doesn’t matter what you do, just start today. Each time you take action you will feel more empowered.
4. Be Kind to Yourself
It sounds simple, but sometimes we are our own worst critic.
Be kind to yourself through this process. Freeing yourself from fearful thoughts takes time and patience, so don’t beat yourself up if some days are harder than others.
When you start trusting and believing in yourself, fearful thoughts and self-doubt will eventually dissipate.
Be proud that you are taking the steps towards becoming your fearless self.
Reflection…
- You don’t have to be afraid of fearful thoughts, remember fear is there to remind us to act and move through it.
- Instead of ruminating on fear-based thoughts pay attention to your reaction and listen to your body. When you move your focus away from fearful thoughts it takes away their power.
- Question the fear. Remember it’s only a story, you have a choice whether to believe it or not.
- Take action, start today! Empower yourself to face your fears.
Don’t sit and wait for things to happen in life, go out and grab them. Believe that you are worthy and deserving of everything you desire.
Are you ready to embrace being fearless?
Related Articles: 4 Ways to Overcome Fear-Based Decision Making