By Carolyn Dickman
We are often told that fear is a good thing… Huh? So, what’s so good about it!? It doesn’t feel very good when fear and anxiety dominate your life. Well, it sure comes in handy when a bus is coming at you. I had that happen once -once certainly is enough.Some of the Most Important Moments in Life Cause Fear
Most of the significant things, positive or negative, that have happened in our lives have some fear attached to them. One of my daughters will soon have our ninth grandchild. This pregnancy has been challenging. Will the baby be ok? Will my daughter be ok?If you are married, did you feel any fear along with the joy of the day? I did. First, “he” was LATE! Had he changed his mind? Was he in an accident? Nope, just overslept, talk about relaxed. No anxiety there! I should have known then I was marrying my opposite.
Have any of you changed careers lately? Even thinking about such a huge life change can reduce the most confident person to quivering Jell-O full of fear and anxiety for the future.
Feeling Fear When It’s Appropriate
One of the best things about fear is that it throws us off balance, causes us to pause and question whether we really want the change. Fear can be a reminder to pay attention to life and experience things as they come. Fear triggers the reminder that it’s appropriate and actually healthy to grieve what we are leaving behind.Remember that summer when you learned how to jump off the diving board? Weren’t you scared then? Remember how your little toes curled over the end of the board and hung on so tight that your feet cramped? Dare you let go? Dare you trust that you will float? How many times have you and I stood on that board contemplating, shall I… shall I in so many aspects of our lives? We must leave the safety of what, who, where, but can we leave our comfort zone? Shall we leave our old life… free fall into a new life where you make positive decisions for out lives even when we feel fear or even especially when we feel fear? Shall we?
The Challenge of Facing Your Fear
Whenever we face fear we move past the obstacle inside ourselves and we tear down another wall of anxiety. We never have to face the same level of fear again. Each time we do something despite the fear it gets a bit easier. Our little toes cling less tightly. The fear subsides and we begin to experience life. Each time we allow, acknowledge, and breathe through the fear our world becomes bigger – safer.If we could just learn to welcome fear – see it from a healthy perspective, to honor it, to listen for the positives in our fear. Most often it is telling us it’s time to leave, time to enter a new significant part of our life. Instead of being afraid of the fear, we should listen to it closely to find out what it’s saying. Often it’s something that we should be paying attention to.
Fear is another of life’s paradoxes, present for protection and excitement.
Bravely yours,
Carolyn
