Today I would like share the sequel excerpt from my book Spiritual Reality: Transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary.
It is from Chapter 9: Trusting in Life Page 102
First, you need to confront your fear, see how real the fear is, and understand where it’s coming from. See if it’s based on a misconception or a clear and present threat. If the fear is valid, it is important to deal with the physical situation. Remove yourself from a dangerous situation, or handle the situation in a way that is safe for you.
If the fear is something that you know you are creating internally, then it needs to be dealt with internally.
The most effective way to defocus internal fear is to do something that is the opposite of fear. This requires intention. Your intention can be used to release the fear. We have all used these methods or some of them, and we’ve done it instinctively at times. Now, I am talking about using them with intention when we feel fear. The combination of intention and defocusing the fear creates a shift in your being. The following are some examples of defocusing fear.
• Look at or talk to someone you love.
• Do something that gives you joy.
• Think of a peaceful scene.
• Use your breath. Breathe in white light or the color that comes to you. Breathe slowly through your solar plexus.
• Do a simple standing or sitting exercise, breathing in and out.
• Remember a time when you were confident
• Feel gratitude for the things around you—even an ant crawling determinedly on its path to the collective hole.
• Remember that the next moment will be different from this one. Each moment changes your feelings and perspective. Decide that the next moments will be full of confidence and faith in the future. Know that you are protected and safe.
• In the case of fear of performing when you are overwhelmed and frightened by what you need to do that day, think of what you have done so far for a few minutes. Make a mental list—it will surprise you. Do not judge the activities; because you did them, they are worthy. Then you can go on to do things associated with your next goal. In this way, you release some of the performance fear.
• Last but not least, be patient with yourself. Give yourself the same consideration you would a beloved pet.
What all these techniques have in common is that you are going to go where fear is not. It is like looking at the complimentary color or choosing another door to enter. You cannot be in different places at once. In other words, while doing something in one emotion, you cannot have another emotion. Shifting to another space, if only for seconds, changes the dynamics of fear.
