I was sitting on the couch the other night feeling stressed. There was nothing wrong. I was comfortable, had a roof over my head, a nice cup of tea, and still had an unsettled feeling. It was the beginnings of fear. I spend a lot of time helping others overcome fear and realized I was thinking of some of their situations, bolting and bucking being the two recent ones. I was not on a horse. I have not had a horse bolt or buck in years and yet, I could feel the fear starting.
I was truly afraid of my thoughts. My mind was controlling my fear! So I worked it out and here are the three things that helped me the most:
1. Recognize the fear. We often are not in eminent danger and yet, we "practice" fear. There is a time for fear, that keeps us from dying. The rest of the time, we don't need fear, it is useless! As you start to feel uncomfortable and those first feelings of fear, thank those thoughts and pivot to wonderful thoughts of happy things. Focus on where you are in that moment.
2. Find Mindfulness. We can be sitting on the couch and feeling fear. Change it up and feel the wonderful sofa, beneath you. Be grateful for the clothes you have the privalage of wearing. Taste the drink you are sipping. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, feel into that moment. There isn't room for fear when you are filled with gratitude and being mindful of your present.
3. LAUGH. This is my favorite. You can laugh at the silliness of feeling fear while not being in a fearful situation. Picture it as a cartoon. Have a funny joke on hand that makes you crack up. Find what makes you laugh and really laugh! My joke is "Did you hear about the kidnapping down the street? He woke up"........It took me 4 hours to get that joke and the memory of when I finally got it and fell to the ground in hysterics in a shopping mall with my good friends all staring at me.... priceless! When I remember this, I LAUGH. Have a handy laugh memory to get you out of fear and into laughter!
If this helped you out, I would love for you to hear my latest podcast! Turning Riding Fear Around on most podcast platforms or you can listen to any of them here: PODCAST!
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