Fear is an inescapable part of life - you cannot be a human being and not feel fear.
We do however have a choice in how we RESPOND to fear when it arises.
We can let the fear take over completely so that it spirals into panic.
We can go into denial and push the fear away, pretend that it isn't there, that we are 'above' it or 'immune to' it.
Or we can WELCOME the fear, allowing ourselves to face it head on and FEEL IT FULLY.
When we let the fear take over, or try to push it away, either way we are giving the fear control OVER us.
When we welcome the fear we can BE WITH it...
On the occasions when I have allowed myself to REALLY welcome my fear, to feel it in my body fully and completely, I have found that it brings me into a space of profound clarity and presence. From this place I can connect with myself. I can connect with others. I can connect to resources that I cannot access from my panic or denial.
So, feel your fear. Notice the sensations in your physical body. Breathe into them. The shaking, the fluttering, the sinking, the aliveness of it... Become aware of your flesh, your GROUND in which all of this is arising...
Panic and denial can both have damaging consequences, but YOUR FEAR CANNOT HURT YOU.
Panic and denial can take us away from ourselves and each other. Fear, welcomed, is a gateway.
Comments