can we all just stop letting go of fear already?

Most folks I know have found themselves on their knees begging to be released of paralyzing fear. The kind of fear that stops us from moving forward in our business, a relationship or to a new home. Fear can be a major stumbling block when all we really want to do is get on with life.

Fear is bred from survival. When we sense our physical and emotional states are at risk, the sensation of fear lands like a meteor. When we experience fear in this way our physical body responds. Our nervous system kicks into high gear, the adrenaline starts pumping, our pupils and lungs expand. We are getting ready to run or defend. This type of fear is very helpful when our life is in danger and we feel we are at risk of harm. The challenge for us as humans is that our outside world has expanded very quickly and our nervous system and lymphatic system have not adapted at the same rate. As a result, our highly sensitive and miraculous bodies are not able to distinguish between ‘I’m being chased by a large animal!’ and ‘I’m going to fail as a business owner!’.

When we are about to embark on something new, our ego senses the impending change and expansion. This perception by the ego is often translated in our body and often times we describe that feeling as fear. Part of the role of the ego is to keep us in familiar territory, a place we understand, an experience to which we are accustom. When this occurs our thinking mind believes it is experiencing fear. It’s a good trick, isn’t it? When we are in a state of fear we run away instead of towards. In this situation that means we move away from the scary new world of expansion and stay in the familiar and comfortable.

So what if in those moments we feel fearful and we recognize that our well being is not in danger, what if instead we saw that as a sign that we are moving in the right direction? In this mindset, fear becomes a catalyst, fuel, the driving force that propels our expansion forward and a sensation that we can recognize as confirmation.

The key is not to let go of fear, it’s to change our relationship with it and harness it to our greater benefit.

Understanding that we don’t always have control over our fear, but we do have the opportunity to manage our experience, to mould our relationship with our emotions, story, belief, and expectation is empowering.

So the next time you find yourself in a situation in which you want to let go to fear, I invite you instead to get clear about the story that is actually holding you back. Is it a belief, a story, an expectation or a way of being? Use this new awareness as a signpost that you are moving into a state of expansion and into alignment with the person you have always been.

Wondering what to do with that self-limiting belief or story? Take a look at my post on how letting go might just be creating more resistance and what to try instead.