Please take a moment to enjoy the IOTD for September 1st by Laura Probert via The Wellness Universe and walk away feeling better and inspired!
Posting this one today, mostly as a reminder to myself; fear is energy I can use as fuel to do the thing I think I can\’t do.
I remember being in one of my continuing education classes and John Barnes, our brave instructor, would say, “Everyone\’s afraid. Go ahead and feel afraid.”
So we realized that fear, just like sadness, anger, joy, disappointment, ecstasy…. is a feeling. It didn\’t matter what we labeled it. It was a sensation in the body; rising to the surface, giving us the opportunity to feel. That\’s it.
Don\’t know about you, but as soon as I feel fear or one of her trusted mates; doubt or shame, my mind goes into overdrive and I try to label it and add a whole lot of meaning to that feeling. I play out intricate scenarios of what might happen if I do this, or say that. I imagine the worst things.
And that story I tell myself, based on that physical sensation in my body, is the problem. It\’s what paralyzes me. It\’s what prevents me from moving forward and taking the action required to make a change, move through the fear and get to the other side.
So, I\’ve learned to use the feeling of fear as a compass – to point me in the direction of the action I need to take. Without the extra meaning or story, fear is just a gut clench. (Occasionally it feels like someone has their fist around my heart, and/or has turned my legs into Jello). The sensations don\’t mean I can\’t function. They make me think I can\’t, but that\’s a lie.
Sometimes big action is too difficult. So I take action by breathing. By sitting in the middle of the sensation, shutting down the story-making, and breathing through the sensation until it shifts. Sometimes I get out my journal and write through the sensation; pouring out all the story and meaning onto the page so that nothing\’s left to sit on my heart.
Sometimes big action is necessary. I\’ve become more and more skilled at letting the feeling drive my action before I shut down and run away. So I say the thing out loud. Or I make the call or take the step I was afraid to take. Big action never disappoints.
Be fearless today. Feel the feeling. Don\’t add meaning. Do what you need to do to move through it. Take small or big action. Learn to use fear as a compass and let the energy of it help you do what you need to do to live fiercely alive.
– Laura
Laura Di Franco, MPT is an intuitive writing strategist, holistic physical therapist, published author, poet and third-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do with over two decades of experience in healing. She teaches transformational tools and powerful strategy for nourishing and inspiring your fiercely alive whole self. Learn more about Laura on her website.
