Finding Freedom Through Releasing Fear

We all face fear every single day. And I am not necessarily talking about the fear that might first pop into your mind when you think of the word fear. Sure, maybe you have a fear of sharks or fear of heights. Those fears may be significant but they also may not show up every day in your presence in your way of being.

The fear I want to focus on today may be something smaller, may be something that is easier to mask and push aside.

Perhaps this fear shows up as anxiety. Anxiety about disappointing your clients, anxiety about speaking up for yourself at work for what you believe you deserve.

Maybe it's a fear of failure- failure as a parent, as a spouse, as a business owner.

Maybe it's a fear of being alone, maybe its simply a fear of traveling alone- eating at a restaurant alone, going to a new yoga class alone. We've all had these fears at one point or another.

For me, the fear that keeps resurfacing is the fear of not being good enough. Not being fit enough, not being successful enough and the list goes on.

Living in fear is like living in some sort of trance. When we live in this trance-like state, fearful thoughts and emotions take over and obscure the larger truth of our life. We get so consumed by the fear that we forget about all the love we have in our lives, we forget about the beauty of the world that we live in, we forget the goodness that exists deep down inside each and every one of us. When we live in fear, we come to expect trouble and bad things to happen and we are unable to live in the present moment. We are so worried about what will happen if…DOT DOT DOT that we forget to live in this moment right here, right now.

Fear is a natural and necessary part of being alive. We are genetically programmed to keep ourselves alive and free from harm, but the problem arises when we allow fear to work over time. When we allow fear to be present when it doesn't need to be. When we live in fear we miss out on moments of our life that could have been spent full of love, creativity and presence.

The good news is that we can all bring more presence to our lives and when we get present we recognize the fear, we acknowledge the fear and we can then face that fear with courage and kindness. We can face it in order to find freedom.

As we wrap up the official first week of spring and we continue to see changes around us- in nature with greener grass, flowers beginning to bloom, longer days filled with more sunshine- it is also an amazing time to make some changes inside of ourselves.

If you can bring more mindfulness into your daily life, you will be able to get out of that fear trance. When you get present and live more mindfully you become aware of the stories you are telling yourself and the feelings and sensations that are happening in your body. Meditation helps to bring more mindfulness to your day. So, today I hope you can take 5 minutes at some point to listen to this guided meditation.

Even if you don't necessarily think of yourself as a fearful person, there may be signs of fear creeping into your body. Physical contraction sometimes surfaces as a result of fear. When you stay trapped in fear you begin to feel tight and guarded….you may notice your shoulders get knotted and raised, your back hunched, your belly tight. Your body becomes rigid instead of relaxed.

Fear can also trap the mind in these rigid patterns. Your mind might start obsessing over what could go wrong- the mind may start to produce endless stories that get replayed over and over again.

In addition to the physical armoring and mental obsession- your behavior might also be a result of fear. Some of you may run from fear and that running shows up by busying yourself with lots of extra tasks and responsibilities maybe you find yourself judging others critically to give yourself an ego boost. We all handle fear differently and most of the time we don't even realize it is the fear that is making us behave the way we are.

So this week, as you move through your daily tasks and responsibilities take a moment to slow down, get present and become aware of what fears might be holding you back from seeing the beauty in your life.