what I feared most. I didn't reply to the email because my biggest
fear at that moment was the fear of receiving more unsolicited email.
However, I did start thinking about the subject of fear. What are we
afraid of? What is fear? What can we do about it?
A Powerful Emotion
Fear is an emotion and the symptoms of this emotion manifest in each
of us in various ways. Some of the symptoms of fear are shallow
breathing, sweaty palms, upset stomach, nervousness, headache,
inability to speak, inability to think clearly, depression,
uncontrollable shaking, inability to moved, and anger. People
literally lose their lives and have been known to take someone else's
life out of fear. All of the "isms" are the children of fear --
racism, chauvinism, classism, sexism. Wars and crime thrive on fear.
Fear takes away our creativity, imagination, freedom and peace. Fear
stops us from pursuing our dreams. Fear destroys relationships and can
make us physically ill.
These four letters, F E A R, represent the most powerful negative
emotion that exists.
And just think, we have all this unhappiness and suffering over
something that does not even exist except for the meaning or
perception that we give to a person, place, thing or event. Our fears
only live because each of us gives our own fears life. The fears we
have exist because we nurture them, feed them, and acknowledge them.
Our Past Stories and Imaginations
In other words, our fears are based on our individual perceptions, and
our perceptions are based on our individual stories or histories and
our imaginations.
How else can we explain the fact that each of us has different fears
and fears to different degrees? For instance, there are many people
who love dogs. However, there are also people who fear dogs. Some love
snakes and have them as pets. Yet, many others are extremely afraid of
snakes and become traumatized at the mere sight of them.
Most of the time, we are not even aware of the stories that our fears
are based on. Some of us have anxiety attacks and are fearful over a
comment that another child made to us when we were small. In other
words, we let a child from our past control our life and health today.
Release the Fear
In order to release the fear, we must change our perceptions about a
person, event or object. Choose to see it for what it is -- a person,
an event or an object. Many of us fear things that have not happened
and may never happen. We cannot enjoy our lives today because we are
fearful of what the future may hold. We can choose to release
ourselves from the hold that our past stories and our imaginations
have on us.
If you are totally immobilized by fear of something, you can always
seek assistance from techniques such as Emotional Freedom Techniques
(EFT), Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), or hypnotherapy. I
encourage you to explore the options each of these techniques provide.
Each of them, using their own methods, de-traumatizes past traumas and
identify and integrate conflicting belief systems that keep us from
doing things we want to do.
In my experience, these types of procedures can bring about relief
from fears quickly. Instead of treating the symptoms, as medications
do, these techniques and other similar procedures address the cause of
the fear.
A Signal for Change
The positive aspect of fear is that it is a signal for change. If
someone were to point a gun at us, in the midst of fear, we would hope
that something would change for the better. Hopefully, we would think
of some way to change the situation without being harmed. When faced
with the fear of the possibility of a child being harmed, parents have
found physical strength and mental courage that they did not know was
possible.
And so it is with our everyday fears. Let fear be a signal to change
or move in a new direction. Move beyond your comfort zone. Perhaps we
need more knowledge about the person, place, or thing that is causing
us to feel fearful. Most importantly, move toward love. Love yourself.
Love everyone and everything. Love is the most powerful emotion. Where
there is real love, fear will perish.
We Are More Powerful than Fear
In my opinion, failure to remember who we are in relation to God and
this great Universe is the number one cause of fear. Where there is no
faith, there is fear. The absence of belief in ourselves and what we
are capable of creates doubt and fear.
Yes, there will be tragedies. No, things will not always go as you
planned. Yes, there will be people who want to say negative things
about you. These people would rather comment on what appear to be your
flaws rather than deal with their own. Do not give them your power.
None of us are ordinary human beings. All of us are extraordinary
divine beings. Everyone has the power that will not fail, should it be
acknowledged and embraced. Sometimes, I have to remind myself of this.
I say, "Fear, be gone. You have no power here." Just by saying these
words, it is as if I turn on a light and I see fear for what it really
is -- nothing.
