CONFRONTING FEAR

There is a quiet epidemic among us. It is not one of illness, but of emotional retreat. Many of us live behind walls built from consistent concern. Our emotions are trapped in a consuming state of fear. These include the fear of failure, the fear of rejection, and the distress acquired from past events. We chase safety like a lifeline during these moments; believing that it will shield us from pain. But what if that pursuit is what keeps us from truly living? How do we “confront fear?”

I understand that “fear” is more than a reaction. It is a signal; a flare sent up by our soul when we are resisting growth. “Fear” is the soul’s way of asking us to pay attention. We are meant to be awakened, not paralyzed by these feelings.

How do we cope with a life driven by emotional fear and excessive safety? One unorthodox remedy rest in spiritual maintenance. By that, I mean cultivating stillness; listening to our inner compass, and daring to ask uncomfortable questions. Examples include: Are we choosing safety because it nurtures us, or because it numbs us? Are we avoiding taking a risk because it is unwise, or because it threatens our illusion of control? Both are tough questions when seriously confronted.

The truth of this blog is that we do not thrive through containment. We expand by way of our experiences, even painful or questionable ones. Discomfort is not punishment. It is an invitation that when we sit with fear; honor it and ask what it is trying to teach. By doing this, we begin the process towards recapturing our power.

A life guiding individual once told me that fear, when embraced by grace, can be the very act that leads us home. My hopeful belief is that by charting that simple course of “confronting fear,” we reach for one of life’s lasting resolutions.