It is surprising how much fear is a part of our everyday life. It is easy to recognize our major fears such as being afraid of getting fired or laid off. The other type of fear is so sneaky that it is almost invisible. We have accepted these tiny fears as an inevitable part of our daily lives, so we don't even pay attention to them anymore. These fears enter our minds quickly and do a number on us before we even realize what has happened. By now, we are so used to these thoughts that we don't even call them fear any more.
What are these little fears? Most of us label these little fears as worry. This winter, when you heard the news that oil and natural gas prices were going to be higher, did you worry or fear about your heating bills being too high? If several people at work have the flu, do you worry or fear that you might be the next flu casualty? Do worry about how you are going to pay for your children's college and save for your retirement? When you buy a daring new outfit, do you worry or fear that it might be too much for you? When you go to the grocery store, do you worry if you have enough cash to cover your bill? If you accidentally receive a neighbor's mail in your mailbox several times, do you worry about whether you are getting all of your mail? Do you worry about identity theft or spyware on your computer? When you leave for your morning commute, do you worry that a major traffic back-up will make you terribly late for work? Fear is the basis of all of these thoughts.
When fear is running around our minds everyday, our decisions are fear-based instead of faith-based. We get into the habit of acting in response to the fear without even knowing that we are doing it. Each time fear pops into our minds, it takes over and temporarily shuts down our minds. We can't think about anything else. We are thinking about what could go wrong instead of what is going well now and will do so in the future. We don't have peace of mind or happiness with fear as a daily visitor.
Whatever we think about, we attract more of those thoughts and experiences into our lives. Our thoughts are like magnets attracting energy, which either creates pleasant or unpleasant experiences in every part of our lives. The more we allow fear into our thoughts, whether we realize it or not, we are attracting more fear and the unpleasant experiences that accompany it. When you are thinking about what you don't want to happen, you are setting the wheels in motion for that very experience to happen, if you think about it often enough.
It isn't surprising that fear is part of our everyday life. Our culture feeds us fear at every turn. Advertisers try to convince us that we aren't beautiful or perfect enough so that we'll buy their products. Advertisers also talk us into believing that we aren't safe or that we're in constant danger of misfortune so that we'll buy their products. We are always under threat of legal action or damage to our credit if we fail to meet our financial obligations. Employers remind us that we can be fired or laid off without notice, if we don't perform well or if the company needs to cut costs. Our kids are under threat of failing if they don't earn good grades. If we don't obey the laws, we could be arrested, convicted and sent to jail. If we don't file our taxes or declare all income, we could have the IRS after us. The news outlets tell us about violent crime and health epidemics that could possibly happen to us, if we aren't careful. Fear is all around us, but we do have a choice whether to accept it into our consciousness.
These little fears take away our peace of mind. We can't have happiness and peace of mind as long as we allow these little fears into our lives every day. We have a choice in what to do with these fears. We can be on guard and take control of our thoughts back away from these fears. We can also choose to continue living with these fears robbing us of our peace of mind. If you really want to get more out of life, then letting go of these fears is something that you must commit to doing every day. It will take time and patience to unseat these little fears because they have been with us for so long. They have become entrenched within our minds. It feels so normal right now to live with them instead of living without them. You can learn to live without them.
Life isn't supposed to be about living in fear. Trust and faith are really the foundation of life. Life always supports us. We are always being protected and supported at every turn, even when we confront unpleasant experiences. There is always a higher purpose for everything that happens to us. We personally benefit from every experience including the unpleasant. Every experience helps us to learn and grow personally if we allow it.
When we allow fear into our minds, we are disconnecting ourselves from trust and faith. When I become fearful, I often see my fear as my inability to trust God. I remind myself that God always supports me as a way to ease fearful thoughts out of my mind.
We can let go of fear by keeping our thoughts in the present moment. Often, I become fearful when I think about what will happen in the future especially during moments of personal difficulties. I worry that the future will be just as difficult. When I start worrying about the future, I remind myself to focus on the present moment. I can't predict the future. I don't know what opportunities are coming to me that will make the future different from the present moment. I can't predict what new answers or ideas will emerge within me that will help me navigate my way in the future. It just doesn't make sense to worry about the future. The future will take care of itself as long as we keep our thoughts connected to faith and trust. We just have to trust that everything will work out and that we will be taken care in the future, even if we don't understand how it will come to be right now. The more we allow our thoughts to dwell in fear, then we are creating a future filled with what we don't want to happen.
Other practical ways to ease fearful thoughts out of your life:
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· Give up all forms of the news including magazines, newspapers, tv news programs and tv news magazines.
· Skip the crime drama tv shows and movies. These programs only heighten your fears of becoming a random crime victim.
· Avoid conversations with others about fearful topics.
· Steer clear of chronic worriers and complainers who discuss endless doom and gloom.
· Avoid talk shows which feed the idea that tragedy and suffering could happen to you, just as it has happened to the talk show guests.
· Fast forward pass television and radio commercials. Advertisers play on our fears to convince us to buy their products and services.
Practical ways to add more faith into your life:
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· Remind yourself daily that Life always supports us, so our needs are always taken care of. We never have to suffer or want for anything now or even in the future. Have faith in everything that you do.
· The minute you find yourself worrying about something or doing something in response to fear, stop yourself. Tell yourself that your worst fears will not come true. Tell yourself that the opposite of your fears will happen.
· Know that what you see as your problems are really your teachers. Look at each problem and ask, "What are you trying to teach me?". Find the lesson, forgive the situation and trust that you will move pass it to better days soon.
· All of us have had unpleasant experiences in the past. These experiences make us fear that the same experience could happen again. The past doesn't define the present or future. Our thoughts in the past helped created what happened to us then. Now we have a new opportunity to think thoughts that will create more of what we want to happen now and in the future. Choose your thoughts more wisely.
Affirmations: I base my life on trust and faith. I am fearless. I am always protected and supported in all of my choice and action.
Copyright©2006 Jeannine Robinson All Rights Reserved