* More empowering words o’ wisdom for you today from gorgeous guest poster Jen of Wild Sister fame.
“Ultimately we know deeply that the other side of every fear is freedom.” ~ Mary Ferguson
Sometimes I feel like I’ve spent my entire life facing fears. It’s easy to feel that way when you’re recovering from anxiety.
Wow, I’ve never used the word ‘recovery’ referring to myself before. But it’s true.
I’ve come a helluva long way over the past few years, and it’s taken a ton of leaps, many heart-racing moments and countless slow, deep breaths, but I’m here.
Just a few years ago, I would experience full-blown panic attacks over something as simple as stepping outside of my front door.
I was terrified of doing anything on my own, and social situations would make me feel physically ill.
I felt so far a way from my dreams, it was heartbreaking.
Fast forward to now…
My husband and I are living overseas for the second time.
Last year, I flew across the country to attend a retreat with women I had never met before – all on my own.
I have achieved many of my biggest dreams, like running my own business, marrying my soulmate, travelling, and moving to Bali, just to name a few.
Now I’m on track to achieve brand new dreams, like becoming a philanthropist, see Europe and eventually start a family.
While I’ve accomplished a lot and completely changed my life in a seemingly short time, it took a lot of work. I really had to rebuild myself and my life, and I’m still not completely anxiety-free yet.
But I know I will be, if I just keep going.
There are still huge differences between who I am now and who I used to be. One being this; I don’t let fear stop me anymore.
I can see now that those fearful thoughts and feelings aren’t real, that I’m always safe, and that fear only has power if I give it power.
So, when it comes to making my dreams come true, I’m now a force to be reckoned with. I’m freaking unstoppable, baby! As someone who has had to face her biggest fears every single day, I’ve become an expert at it.
Here’s how I’ve learned to overcome fear to achieve my dreams…
Breathe.
“Fear is excitement without the breath.” ~ Fritz Perls
Take a few deep breaths, relax your shoulders, and look around you. Centre yourself in the moment.
Fear only lives in our minds. By being present in the here and now, it cannot survive – because we are always safe.
Let go.
“I have accepted fear as a part of life – specifically the fear of change. I have gone ahead despite the pounding in the heart that says: turn back.” ~ Erica Jong
You know that feeling you get in your gut when you think about your dream or goal? That pulling sensation that feels as though you’re literally being tugged towards your dream by an invisible rope?
Let it pull you.
Just let go and go with it.
Once you shift your perspective from your fears to your dreams, everything becomes so much clearer. Fear may be strong, but dreams are stronger.
Just keep your focus on your desires and let that fuel you for the next step.
Jump.
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” ~ Dale Carnegie
This is the hardest, but most important, step. Sitting around thinking about what scares you is guaranteed to make it worse.
The sooner you take action and start moving, the quicker you’ll realise you had nothing to be afraid of in the first place.
So just do it. If you want your dream more than you’re afraid of it, put one foot in front of the other – and never ever stop – nothing will be able to stop you from achieving it.
Repeat these steps whenever you start to feel fear creeping up – and you will. The goal here isn’t to eliminate the fear; it’s to move forward no matter how afraid we are.
We all feel fear every now and then, especially when we’re chasing our dreams and changing the world.
What’s important is to walk with the fear, to keep going even though our legs are trembling and our heart is racing.
That’s how barriers are broken, challenges are overcome and lives are changed.
You can do it.
You’re unstoppable.
Ready to take the next step? Leave a comment below and let us know what your next step is. Oh, and if you have one to share, share your best tip for dealing with fear.
Jen Saunders is the creator of Wild Sister Magazine and the Wild Sisterhood. She’s a tie-dye wearing daydream believer, writer and spirit junkie. Jen’s got so much love for women who own their power, smile at themselves and believe that happiness is a choice – so if that’s you, give her a wave at any one of her online homes so you can connect!
This is just what I need right now. Thank you.
Wonderful post! I particularly like the advice about just ‘jumping’ :)
Another tip I’ve found that can be useful for dealing with fear seems slightly counterintuitive, but seems to work – I make myself think of the worst case scenario. And when I do, it’s usually not that big of a deal. I find it helps to crystallise this in my head as I then have something concrete to battle against – instead of letting fear become big and mysterious and vague. It makes it much easier to push through the fear and jump!
It’s so funny. This has been really cropping up for me lately, the ol’ fear paralysis, and today I have come across 3 similar posts of wisdom on this very topic. Is someone looking out for me or what?! Thanks Universe xxx I couldn’t agree more that action is key to overcoming this nasty affliction and I had proof of that today when I got my butt out moving, completing tasks and out of my fear and then had a new client call to make a booking. I think we ALL go through this despite the fact that maybe only a week prior we felt unstoppable and totally self assured, so it’s great when you stumble across little gems like these that nudge you back on track. It brings it all back to Oneness doesn’t it. It’s like we’re all extensions of each other, stepping into play when one part begins to weaken and needs some support. Thank you… all of you!!! xxx
My best tip for dealing with fear is to try to localise the sensation in your body. Usually when I try to pin down where in my body I’m feeling that icky sensation, it starts to dissolve and dissipate under the objective scrutiny. It can help a lot… X
Wow- I have goosebumps all over, thank you so much Jen and Rachel.
As the title of my blog suggests(!), fear has been a huge teacher for me as well. I am so incredible grateful to fear for giving me the tools I need to be my best self. It’s not always easy, and neither is change, but once you jump on the ‘change bandwagon’, it gets pretty addictive!
Beautiful quotes as well- thank you ladies! xx
I have been in a terrible state of depression and anxiety since losing my job and have some physical limitations. My life has basically been placed on hold for the last seven years and I never saved for my future and the fears and worries that accompany financial issues, physical issues and serious clutter and revamping of apartment issues have prevented me from moving forward and it is so hard to move past the fears but your article has given me some hope that I must do it if I want to survive and succeed.