Fear is something that everyone experiences. Some fears are small and some are big. There are fears that we can manage and fears that can leave us unable to cope with the daily tasks in life.
We become fearful to the point of being unable to move forward in life when we allow fear to remain inside of us. Sometimes, we can do what we’re supposed to, but we carry the fear around waiting for the other shoe to drop.
There are two kinds of fear. There’s the fear that’s caused by what we don’t know. Fear is an emotion that’s caused because we’re afraid that something is going to happen. We’re afraid that this unknown is going to cause us pain.
We’re afraid that this unknown is going to impact our way of life and create change that threatens us financially, emotionally or physically. You can fear failure such as not getting a job or the promotion that you need.
You can fear rejection by a loved one or with your creative endeavors. We fear the judgment or anger of other people because we worry what they’ll think about us. There’s an acronym for this type of fear.
It’s False Evidence Appearing Real meaning that it hasn’t even happened. Most types of this fear never come to pass. The second type of fear is the emotion that’s based on past experiences.
For example, someone that’s experienced a car accident because of bad weather would naturally have more fear driving or riding in a vehicle when the same type of weather is going on.
People who’ve gone through trauma will also have known fear. The problem with fear is that it can keep you on the sidelines so that you’re afraid to live life fully. You might not go for the new job because you’re afraid to leave behind the security of the one that you don’t like.
You might not approach that person to introduce yourself because you’re afraid they might not like you. This is fear keeping you on a leash. While you might think you’re protecting yourself, in reality, you’re limiting yourself from experiencing great opportunities.
When you live fearfully, it will show in the way that you carry yourself, in the way that you build relationships and in the way that you handle your career. Mindfulness can set you free from that.
It helps you focus on the present and be able to see fear for what it actually is – simply an emotion that can help us. Mindfulness will allow you to be able to understand what fear is actually valid and what fear is you projecting a what-if mindset.
Fear is rooted in negativity and mindfulness can change that. By practicing mindfulness, you’ll be able to calm the anxiety that often comes along with fear. You’ll learn how to neutralize fear through mindfulness by letting go of the preconceived judgments you have toward the emotion. When you’re free from fear, you’ll be able to live life freely and without reserve.
