Through the years mankind has suffered from events that they think will harm them. Loosely defined we call this FEAR.
Mostly, we tend to think of FEAR as something we don’t want. Yet, when we look at it more closely, it can be a friend. A neurological system designed to prevent us from venturing into an area that will not serve us, whether it’s a new acquaintance, a new business venture, physical harm, etc.
Today, I want to speak from the perspective of having more control over the fear that limits our ability to be Present and how to act in a way that serves us vs. limiting us.
Whatever the cause of our internal warning system, we can turn most fears into a friend or we can reduce the crippling effects that limit being Present.
In my younger life, when I was a flight instructor, it was my purpose to replace fear with knowledge. For example, a student pilot would learn to replace the fear of landing an airplane with the knowledge of how it could be landed safely. This led to an ability to be more Present. When the student was Present, he/she would be more aware of their surrounding and have a greater ability to respond rationally. They overcame their fear.
As my life progressed, I noticed that I could limit my fearful situations with the knowledge that life had taught me, i.e. don’t walk don’t dark alleys with lots of money hanging out of your pockets. In this way, FEAR was my friend teaching me ways to manage my life so that I was more Present to my surrounds.
When I didn’t have the necessary knowledge, I also learned that I could reduce the fear inside of me and calm my body. And, I could start to manage my surrounds more effectively.
The First method is as old as the hills and that is to notice your breathing. Here, you might recall that you were either breathing too fast or not at all. Now, simply start to notice the rate at which you are breathing and begin to manage it. Once you control your breathing rate, you too will begin to hear, see and feel more centered. And in a moment, you’ll gain that balanced composed feeling. The knowledge of your breathing rate will serve to calm and reduce fear.
The Second method is to notice that there is an Energy field located in your body when you experience fear. It could be in your stomach, jaw, heart, etc. The location doesn’t really matter, what does matter is that you recognize where it is. Once, you notice its location, look for the “High Point” of energy within that energy field and put your attention there. This is the safest place to be!
The next step is to FEEL THE ENERGY. You don’t have to do anything more than simply FEEL that energy. Again, this is the safest place to be!!!
If your mind drifts, just ‘come on back’ to that “high energy” spot and be there. There’s nothing to do but hang out and feel. What you can expect is the energy to disappear over the next few moments. And, you’ll notice that the fear has completely disappeared.
See, what we normally do is pay attention to the FEAR and don’t notice the ENERGY. In the old way, you were left with fear and no control. When you enter into the center of the energy you regain control. There is actually more happening here, but that’s for another article.
So, there you have it. FEAR is replaceable with managing your breath and feeling the energy. In either case, you’re the master of your ship and you always have a choice.
Robin Hill is a Master Results Coach, Master Trainer of NLP, Neurological Repatterning, who offers private consultations, and is a frequent lecturer. You may reach Robin, by visiting his web site at: www.MasterResultsCoach.com. or e-mailing: robin@MasterResultsCoach.com
