How to turn panic into personal power

Does panic (yours or other people’s) make you feel powerless?

How would it be for you if you could turn this panic into personal power? If you could harness fear instead of being controlled or overwhelmed by it?

There is a wave of panic and fear sweeping the planet right now, and many of us are feeling discomforted by what's going on. 

But what is fear? Fear, is simply energy. It's not good. It's not bad. It's just energy.

Most of us have grown up in situations where we would deal with low-level fear: fear of abandonment, fear of not being loved, or fear of not being good enough, but it's very rare for most of us to encounter a situation where we feel like our life,  or the lives of those that we love and care for is in danger; or that our business / livelihood is so suddenly at risk. As such, most of us don't have the experience of handling this energy, this emotion. And then what we often do, is we look to other people to see how they are handling the situation. If their way is to panic, there is a high likelihood that we will subconsciously absorb the same attitude. And replicate the behaviour.

My advice on how to turn fear into personal power is to simply *be* with the emotion of fear. Try not to act on it, to run away or escape from it, or to ignore it. Don’t even label it. It’s also important not to avoid it, distract yourself from it, suppress it or sedate/numb yourself. Recognise it within yourself and allow yourself to literally to breath through that fear.

You will feel it in your body - perhaps in your stomach, chest, solar plexus or your heart. It takes courage to feel it. No doubt. And you will be triggered - by the headlines, other people's comments etc. In these moments, just pause. Take time out and get present with your energy and your own breathing.

The thing you are worried about will not go away, but what taking a pause will do is bring you back to yourself. You will reconnect with your own core and certainty, and your inner strength that the fear has disconnected you from. 

To put it simply,  take time out and let yourself regulate, as getting sick with panic and stress will only lower your immune system.

Even if you find yourself taking this step 100 times a day, that's ok. Pause and allow yourself to get present as many times as you need to. Create 100% (or as close as possible to it) resourcefulness, giving you the ability to serve.

We need to remember that we are at the beginning of this situation. As things move on, our ability to self-regulate will be even more important. So it’s good to start practising now, and get 'selfish': step away and fill up your own tank first.

Because, in between every stimulus, and your response to that; in between every story that you tell yourself and the emotion that will follow - there is always a pause. There is always a gap, that will allow you to choose differently. 

Use that choice. For your own benefit, and the benefit of those around you.

If you would like some help with creating this mindset shift, which will not only help you cope better right now, but also make you more resilient for the future, please get in touch, as I am offering five 1-hour long video consultations available over the next couple of weeks.

Be well !