It seems that fear is manufactured before our eyes through the news and our interactions with others, and it appears most often without our permission and it permeates our lives. Because fear is contagious, it can control us effortlessly, if we let it. The destructive power of fear no longer has to control our lives.
How to Reduce Fear in Your Life
1.Monitor your thoughts. Watch for fear-producing emotions such as anger, sadness, jealousy and judgment. To be negative is easy. When negativity is allowed to flourish, it generally will produce more fear. Choose thoughts that produce emotions that make you feel comfortable in your body: love, happiness, peace, joy.
2.Place painful memories of the past on pause. Just because something happened to you or someone else in the past and it had a negative outcome does not mean it will happen again. The pain of something that happened in the past is an indicator of the need for a change in direction. Once you evaluate the memory, you will be able to see the situation more clearly, and if nothing can be changed then stop thinking about it immediately. When you allow yourself to recall a fearful memory, you pull yourself out of balance. Change what you are doing. Spend your mental efforts and energy on creating a new direction for you.
3.Do not hang on to your fears -- fear of illness, fear of financial loss, fear of losing someone, fear of death, fear of losing your "stuff," the fear of rejection or the fear looking stupid or weak. When we choose fear, we are making the choice to keep fear inside of ourselves and in doing this, we let fear dictate our futures and we limit our options for greater security, peace and comfort. No matter what challenges life gives you, you can choose to respond in a new way.
4.Become calm. Work at being the "calm in the eye of the storm." We can prevent ourselves from becoming overwhelmed with the extreme situations surfacing all around us. Regardless of what is happening in your life at this moment, know that you have the strength, courage and wisdom you need to move forward without fear.
5.Find a way to let fear go and start again. No one who has been in the grip of fear would underestimate the challenge that lies in front of us in order let fear go. Finding strength, balance and faith will save us from debilitating fear. As we know from experience, fear and faith cannot coexist... you must choose one. Let us find the determination to choose faith over fear.
Each moment of our choosing builds upon the previous moments. Our thoughts, words, feelings and actions are powerful beyond our knowing. It is critical that we stay focused on the positive possibilities, and let the unrealized fear dissipate. Let this moment be your starting point, so to speak, for a release of fear, and enjoy the peace and comfort that will surely take its place.
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