Facing Fear Fearlessly
Our fragmentation and disconnection have made ours a culture of anxiety. So for some people, the moment they slow down and tune into themselves, the first thing they become aware of is their anxiety and worry.
Thomas Bien, Ph.D. and Beverly Bien, M.Ed.
Binge eating, binge drinking, binge gaming….the ways to numb ourselves to ourselves are endless. Unless feelings are pleasant, we tend to not want any at all, especially if they relate to fear. So we self-medicate with food, alcohol, video games, and other things. The temporary relief we get from such harmful behavior encourages us to repeat it. Breaking this unhealthy pattern requires us to become still and simply acknowledge our fear. Doing so allows us to more objectively examine what we are afraid of and why. We may discover that our fear is out of proportion to what triggers it. We may even discover that our fears are not even based on reality, but our misperceptions of it.
But what if we truly have good cause to fear something? Mindfulness gives us the skills to take the most appropriate actions to resolve the problem instead of only numbing ourselves to it.
What are you afraid of and why? Is your fear proportional to what triggers it? Is your fear based on reality? If so, what are ways you might constructively address the issue?
