Nothing to fear

Glorious morning! 

Today I am visiting the subject of fear. Let’s expand together on this quote from Franklin D. Roosevelt. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”.  Franklin D. Roosevelt was the 32nd president of the United states and made that statement in his first inaugural address. He came into office faced with the greatest economic crisis in American history. He was determined that the United states would one day emerge from the great depression. His quote was meant to remind the people that the only thing that will keep them in the depression was fear. He knew he had to give the people hope and steer them away from being fearful and towards having more courage and optimism. Could you imagine if he said “ America, It's time to be scared, we are in big trouble”. There would have been mass hysteria.

Fear can be a healthy life saver and motivator or a horrible instigator causing unneeded panic and anxiety. The quote has really stood the test of time because anyone can relate to fear and the negative side of it. Like anybody else, we have all experienced fear, it is a natural response to a perceived danger or threat. It triggers the body’s fight or flight response, leading to changes in the body like increased heart rate and elevated adrenaline levels. Its main function is to help us have extra strength for defending ourselves and or warning us. The trouble with fear is when fear is a “perceived“ threat. In other words, seeing a harmless spider can cause a fear response in some people, amongst many other things. Until that person works on releasing their fear of spiders, they will always be afraid of them. That is very taxing on the central nervous system when experienced over and over again. We can even develop a fear of feeling. If someone experienced an abusive or traumatic event in their past,  we can develop a defense mechanism to never want to feel those negative experiences again, so we suppress them. Now we have trapped fear that has not been processed, healed and released. When we get into the habit of suppressing our feelings for fear of actually feeling them, we can become insensitive to ourselves and others. Feeling is a part of being human, if we deny that part of us, we are denying a part of who we are. How can we ever feel whole and complete if part of us is hiding. Some people have a fear of speaking in public, fear of failure , fear of crowds, fear of being alone, the list goes on and on. I feel his quote is saying, If fear is having a negative impact on your life or debilitating you, then yes fear is actually the threat as opposed to fear helping you combat a threat. Have you experienced fear taking you over and letting it have power?

Here is a quick true story about a false fear I had . One night I was awakened to a banging on a window in my room and immediately thought someone was trying to break in. My heart started racing as my adrenaline started flowing to help me possibly fight off an intruder. I got out of bed and quickly came to see a branch had partially come off a tree and was hitting the window from the wind. My heart immediately slowed back down and my body got the message that the perceived threat was not real, so I easily calmed down and I went back to sleep. Moral of the story……even something not true that was thought to be true can cause great fear. Fear can only be powered with our permission and thoughts. Do you struggle with fears that have been with you for years? Is your fear holding you back from expanding your life and dreams? Do you want to overcome your fears for good and start experiencing the freedom that comes with that? I can help you identify your fears and guide you on a path to the courage that is already inside you waiting to act on your behalf. Book your free discovery call, just click below.  Peace be with you, Dawn

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