Fear

What happened to, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

It seems this country and a great deal of the world has become gripped in fear.

First a president that was over-the-top aggressive, couldn’t speak, lost his mind on social media, and sounded like an idiot in debates. He riled up the opposition and he was voted out. Some people say it wasn’t fair but those of you who voted against him came out in record numbers and won but the entire time up to the election, you worried, cried, and feared the country wouldn’t make it to another election. Why?

The churn of turmoil in your head and gut is giving you all the symptoms of the medicines offered on television.

History has shown that leaders who cannot speak and improve the lives of a working nation are vilified and taken down by those amazing speakers and charming individuals who place your belief in manners as so important you will give up your rights for it.

People say he was a new version of Hitler. Well Hilter, like Stalin, Castro, and Chaves, were amazing speakers and could charm even the most ardent critics. Hitler’s public face he put on for his country made the world stand up and cheer at first. Time magazine even made him the Man of the Year.

So this president is gone and you feel better right?

The world has changed?

I know the pandemic is here and you can focus that fear on that. You worry about dying but everyone has to die sooner or later. It’s not fun.

Fear of getting the worst of the virus is scarier than death. Those patients whose lungs are filling up with clots and having their whole body affected from head to toe.

You fear that as well but if you are not sick and take precautions, fear is just going to be what gives your body an open door to this virus.

So where is it coming from?

The mainstream media loves drama and fear in every form. They sell fear of rejection the most. You are tied in knots.

The fear churn keeps you from your best no matter how hard you work and how much you sacrifice.

When everything around you is pushing fear, you need to face what you are afraid of and not push it away or keep it behind a wall in your head.

One technique that works very well is to sit still and breathe.

Always works when you are having anxiety, panic, fear or all three right?

Someone says, “Just breathe.”

You just want to kill them.

You should just breathe but you should also open the doors.

The key to this technique is to understand one door let in the fear. The fear may be in your head and body but something generated it so image you are Joe. Joe is in the mists of a heavy bout of fear, panic and anxiety.

Close your eyes and take long slow deep breaths and imagine you opened the door and see yourself, in this case Joe sees himself as three people, each carrying a sign. Each sign is one of the three things happening to him.

Watch them come in the door and you greet them.

“Hi fearful Joe. Hi anxious Joe. Hi panicky Joe.”

Greet each one as they come through a straight walkway like at an amusement ride; between two hip high bars and walk straight out a door you open in the rear.

They come in the front, you greet them warmly, and they walk out.

Just because you are a conduit for these emotions doesn’t mean you have to hold them.

The more you do this. The easier it is to get past these fears.

When you are walking in nature and it is something you love. You don’t worry about the bear or mountain lion before they get there. You wouldn’t step on to the trail if you understood that for one out of 100,000 hikers, today is their last day.

We don’t think that way. If a branch taps us or leaves fly in our face we don’t wrap our arms around our legs and roll on the ground whimpering like we do when someone says or does something at home or at the office.

Let the fears in, greet them warmly, and let them walk right out.

It’s not perfect but it works. Also get some air and let nature bat you around a little.

The End or Just the Beginning?