Fear is a natural and normal human emotion.
It serves a purpose and is designed to keep us safe. But this is only true sometimes. Fear is also felt when we are about to expand and stretch beyond the current version of ourselves. Therefore, learning to overcome fear is an important skill if you’re committed to personal growth.
I’m teaching my first yoga class this Friday at Love Integration Yoga. All of my fear-based thinking is coming to the surface.
“What if it’s bad? If I forget the sequence? Will they hate it?” All the limited thinking you can imagine!
In this instance, my fear is trying to keep me safe.
It says, “Don’t do that big, scary thing you’re about to do because there are no guarantees that you’ll survive.”
Of course, this isn’t true. But the way fear works is it’s part of our reptilian brain that perceives anything uncomfortable as a threat to our survival.
Overcoming fear in this instance is necessary. If I listened to the fear and believed the thoughts it generated, I would never do what I love and teach yoga. I would never expand outside my comfort zone and grow into the teacher I will become. I would stay small, stuck, and “safe” if I listened to every fearful thought I ever had.
Fear is a sneaky little trickster.
We get led into believing fear is a sign not to do the thing and take the leap, when actually the exact opposite is true.
When overcoming fear, we must learn to discern what’s useful and what isn’t.
Useful, healthy fear is a sign of growth. It indicates you’re doing something out of your comfort zone that will elevate, change, and expand you. It shows you’re in the right place in your life at your growth edge.
Nothing exciting happens in our “comfort zone”. Life gets stagnant and stale there, and we’ll stay small and uninspired. When enough time is spent playing safe, we ultimately find ourselves feeling stuck.
Fear that isn’t useful is the kind that comes in and tries to convince us not to do anything that will make us uncomfortable, vulnerable, or put us at risk of any kind.
This is why learning how to overcome fear is such an important skill.
Here’s what I’m doing to overcome fear:
Although all the fearful thoughts inside my head are knocking at the door, I am not letting them in. Nor am I letting them halt me. I’m acknowledging my fears and see clearly that they are not me, nor do they define me. I am allowing myself to feel the fear and see this emotion as a natural part of being human. I recognize this fear as an opportunity for growth, which allows me to overcome fear. I’m saying, “Yes!” to it.
I like to dive head-first into my fears! If it feels scary, I do it—with a healthy dose of precaution, of course. For example, if it thrilled me to jump into oncoming traffic (which it doesn’t), I wouldn’t because my rational brain has me weigh the cons. The benefit of the thrill doesn’t override the risks.
In the case of teaching yoga, the risk is I might “fail.” The gain/benefit is I might expand and learn beyond my wildest imagination.
Fear certainly has a valid place in my life, but it never gets to ride in the driver’s seat of my life.
Want support navigating and overcoming fear in your life? Schedule a Discovery Coaching Call with me today to explore how coaching can help you reach your goals, overcome fear, and create a life of your greatest desire!
I want to hear from you! Let me know in the comments below. How does fear stop and inspire you?