The Gift of Fear + Simple Strategies to Manage It
As humans we are complex, thinking, feeling, and acting beings. Many people seek out therapy when their emotions feel overwhelming. Fear and its variations are a common reason people show up in therapy.
FEAR [concern, vulnerability, worry, anxiety, scared, stress, panic, afraid, terror]
We are born hardwired to experience fear. Fear has an evolutionary basis and is life-preserving. Fear lets us know danger is present, whether real or perceived. It triggers our innate flight, fight, freeze, or faint response to keep us safe.
When we are in danger, we want to have a fear response, so we act, to move us towards safety. The problem with fear and its variations is when we are not in actual danger and yet feel anxious, worried, or panicked.
HERE ARE SIMPLE STRATEGIES TO MANAGE FEAR:
Name It to Tame It! Being able to label emotions calms the nervous systems.
Orientate to your physical surroundings. Look around in your space, above, below, and behind and notice what you notice.
Practice Grounding: Place your feet on the ground, noticing gravity pulling your body down, supporting you.
Deep belly breathing. In through your nose and a longer exhale out through your mouth.
Shift your worries into hopes, blessings, and prayers. Rather than “I’m worried about my mom’s health” instead say “I wish for my mom to be healthy and strong.”
One of our great life challenges is learning how to listen to the wisdom of our emotions, how to tolerate and build our capacity to feel our emotions, and how to allow them to metabolize and move through us. Therapy is a safe space to practice all of that! Reach out to Coriander Living Collective for support!
