Last week, I wrote about my personal struggles with fear in the courtroom, and how I looked it square in the eye, and pushed forward…
Ever since that pivotal moment, I’ve been challenging myself to harness the power of fear – and even become empowered by it.
Here are some ways that you can use the power of your own fear to transform your life:
- Be a Witness of Your Fear
Whether we are consciously aware or not, physically, our bodies are responding to fear. When there is a strong emotional trigger to something, a signal is sent to the brain which triggers a hormonal surge that causes your heart to pump blood more forcibly–the extra blood is getting your body ready to sprint away from the danger or stand and fight. And your brain is now focused on the perceived threat—diverting your attention and focus from anything else. Our thinking becomes distorted because we now see everything through the lens of Fear.
This Fight or Flight worked in times when we were fighting saber tooth tigers or other beasts for survival. But, today, the fight or flight isn’t very helpful and can be harmful causing us to become aggressive, hyper-vigilant and overactive..
When we are faced with modern day saber toothed tigers, opposing counsel, the Judge, our supervisor, the difficult client, it isn’t appropriate to physically run away or to fight.
It just isn’t a very good idea to punch opposing counsel or to run out of the courtroom.
So, to minimize the harmful effects of Fear on the body and mind, you have to first be aware of it.
How Does Fear Feel For You? Do you have physical symptoms like tension in our muscles, headache, upset stomach, racing heartbeat or difficulty breathing? Do you emotionally respond feel fear as anxiety, poor concentration, depression, hopelessness, frustration, anger, and excessive worrying?
Be aware and know your fear response.
- Release the Energetic Charge of Fear
When you sit with acknowledgement of your Fear, and breathe….you will begin to release the emotional and physical charge of Fear.
Take a few moments to sit and be with your Fear. Breathe and feel what you feel.
While breathing scan your body and notice where it is affecting you physically and release.
Be with the feeling that arises. Let it come up, stay with it. Let it run its course without wanting to make it different or do anything more about it. Simply let the feeling be there and focus on letting out the energy behind it.
Offer no resistance. Don’t judge it—see it is just a feeling.
Ignore all thoughts Focus on the feeling itself. Thoughts are endless and self-reinforcing and only create more thoughts. Let the feeling come forth without any thoughts or judgment. When we face our fear, the energetic emotional charge is released. Fear will lose its Power.
Feel the Fear to Release The Fear
When you give up resisting or trying to change the feeling, it will shift to the next lighter feeling. Fear not resisted will disappear as the energy behind it dissipates. You begin to realize that all negative feelings associated with fear are related to basic survival and all feelings are merely survival programs that the mind believes are necessary.
Feelings come and go, and you realize that you are not your feelings but that the real you is only a witness to them. You stop identifying with them. You begin to identify with a different consciousness. You get closer to the real Self and begin to see that Fear has no power and you see that the feeling of fear has no truth.
- Embrace The Gift
Without Fear there is No Courage, Find the Fear, Feel the Courage.
When you release the energetic charge of fear,then you can embrace the beneficial effects of your fear response which include heightened mental awareness and deeper intuitive awareness.
When the energy is released, your physical and mental bodies change.
You physically begin to release the physical grip of fear, breath returning, heart slowing, tension releasing. You can begin to respond from a place of being centered instead of involuntary reactionary survival mode.
When you release your anxiety, a stillness comes forth and within there is an inner voice that holds is bound to a deeper collective wisdom which allows you to move beyond your fears, beyond your anxieties and beyond your strategic mind—into a clearer understanding of your truth and next steps to take. Courage comes from this stillness. Wisdom comes from this place.
In this stillness, you can see the gift of your Fear in helping you to find your inner strength. In this stillness is the powerful gift of courage.In this stillness, solutions appear.
I believe in you and your power within,
Lexlee