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What if a huge waterbug comes around the corner while I'm in the tub or worse, what if it comes in the tub?! And just like that, fear has found a way to disturb my ginger, lemon, and rosemary bath. See, I have been putting a lot of intention into noticing myself these past few years but more recently my awareness has shifted to noticing myself in the state of fear. The thoughts associated with it, the behavior, and even the beliefs. I have learned a great deal about myself by studying myself in this way and I have grown closer to myself because of it.
What we must innerstand about emotions is that they are forms of energy and when we do not allow our emotions to flow easily through us we trap the energy (their vibration) within our body. Now, as you can imagine, if fear is trapped in the body its energy will stimulate thoughts, shape beliefs, and drive behaviors that feed more fear. This is how it survives within you. I recognize that fear has its place. I call this healthy fear. Healthy fear is aware, intuitive, secure, rational, and grounded in discernment. It keeps us out of real life-threatening danger and can save our lives when presented with life-threatening situations. Life-threatening can be life or death but it can also be toxic situations such as abuse and stress.
Unhealthy fear, however, is paranoid, irrational, insecure, and untrusting. It is also impulsive, hateful, disruptive (in the most annoying way), and restrictive in a way that only leads to stress and loss of power. This fuels more unhealthy fear. For example, you may stay in a work environment that is stressful and unfulfilling because 'it's a check' and to consider leaving this stressful job stimulates thoughts of worst-case scenarios and loss of security, and with no sense of security, you become fearful. So you stay in the stressful and restrictive environment because the fear is too unbearable.
When I first began to notice how prevalent fear was in my reality I knew that it was unnatural and that I had to do something about it or I would never realize the life I desire for myself and my family. I began what I like to call a fear detox and because of this, I continue to grow creative in the questions I ask myself, lead with trust and love, expand in self-awareness, clarity, and security. Fear was running rampant in the streets of my mind and the rest of my body. Judgment was on HIGH and I was the worst-case scenario Queen. It is very clear to me now why I had (and still working on) trust issues.
'How did all of this fear get in here?' I asked. Trauma. Personal trauma. Family trauma. Community trauma. Societal trauma. Gender trauma. Race trauma.
Healing. Healing is powerful in detoxing unhealthy fear and enables us to grow in self-awareness which is key to living emotionally well. Healing isn't always the heavy lifting that comes with facing our fears and putting fear in its rightful place. Sometimes healing is giving ourselves the permission to experience, express, and embody love like self-compassion, authenticity, and self-advocacy. It can be choosing to take a break, stay home, do nothing, binge-watch a TV show, go for a walk, or say 'no.' Healing is brave. Trusting yourself is brave. Choosing to be a force for love and healing the trauma(s) that you've experienced is brave.
Ingestion. What we watch, read, and listen to are also ways we can ingest unhealthy fear. We become what we ingest as it shapes our thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. It is of the utmost importance that we ingest what inspires us, motivates us, empowers us, and encourages health, love, and wellness above all. When we are intentional with our ingestion in this way we expand in creativity and confidence and grow stronger in our awareness of unhealthy fear in our lives. This allows us to cultivate an environment both internally and externally that is fertile for personal and professional growth and development, unleashed expression, and inevitable evolution.
Release. In our Letting Go With Ease guide, I dive into the steps necessary to letting go and releasing emotions allowing them to flow through us. One of these steps is to embrace the unknown. Sometimes it is hard for us to release fear because of fear of the unknown. But fear is only an extension of you. What this means is, that you are its creator and therefore you are in control. You have the final say when it comes to fear in your reality. When you choose to release unhealthy fear, you take your power back. Every step you take into the unknown is the expansion of self. This builds trust, brings clarity, and creates more space to explore and experience the mystery of your journey.
Are you ready to detox unhealthy fear?
At SenterME, we are dedicated to creating a clear path to emotional wellness and stress relief for women professionals. Did you find this blog post helpful or insightful? If so, we would greatly appreciate 5 minutes of your time to complete our survey. Your voice helps us grow as a useful partner to help you cultivate the life you truly desire.
Remember, wellness is your birthright and self-love is true freedom.
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