Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace.
Amelia Earhart
People often live so much of their lives in fear. It is so much easier to avoid that which scares us. We can manage to avoid all sorts of things that scare us and still live an ok, fulfilling life. Only… we will know that we could have done more or been more or reached our potential. Today might be the day to take a chance. There are a couple of things you can do when fear is getting in your way.
• Try deep breathing and relaxation. Different techniques work for different people. When I was in undergrad they taught us a technique I still use today a million years later. I try inhaling through my nose and exhaling through my mouth. I may close my eyes or pick a focal point in the room. When I exhale I usually say a word. Any word will do but I usually use the word peace. This exercise seems to calm me and lower my heart rate. Look on the internet or at the library for relaxation techniques. Try different techniques and see what works for you.
• Practice what you are going to do or say. Practicing will build your confidence.
• Another technique is to figure out the absolutely worse thing that could possibly happen if you face your fear and take action. Exaggerate the outcome and think of all the possibilities. You may realize that your outcome is very unlikely to come to pass and then realize if it does that you would live through it and be ok.
• Try positive self-talk. Instead of telling yourself to just give into the fear so you can feel relief tell yourself you can do it. Tell yourself that you are capable and will succeed at your task. It is amazing how much our own negative self talk can bring us down.
As people we tend to regret less what we do that we fail at or that which goes horribly wrong. We regret more the missed chances and what we didn’t try. Maybe today is the day to be brave and face your fears. Today I am going to face one of my fears. You can do it too!
