Facing Fear
Our brain is designed to ensure our survival and is constantly scanning our environment to find threats or possible danger and when it finds them it tends to fixate on them. And while this is an extremely valuable service that our brain provides, if we become fixated on possible threats or danger we become ruled by fear and we miss out on the joy of
life.
Even though we may have lived in a state of fear for a long time, it is important to know that we can change that. When we think the same thoughts for a long time we create a belief that becomes wired into our brain and becomes a part of our subconscious thinking pattern. These subconscious patterns become conditioned responses that are triggered automatically, which is why we often find ourselves repeating destructive patterns of behaviour.
The good news is that just as the negative patterns are programmed into our brain, so we can reprogram our brain with positive patterns which in turn will lead to positive conditioned responses. Whatever we practice grows stronger.
We can train our mind to be in a positive state by:
- Being aware of our current state or bias (negative or positive) – is it proportional to what’s going on right now?
- Consciously meet whatever arises with presence and acceptance
- Name the fear – ask ‘am I going to let this stop me?’ If the answer is no, decide to reject the fear and replace it with a constructive thought and action
- We must reprogram our brain with different thoughts – (think of the brain as a computer and our thoughts (mind) as the software – use constructive thoughts to overwrite the destructive ones)
- We must make new patterns to replace the old patterns in our brain by taking action in direct opposition to our fear (face our fear with courage)
- Intentionally gladdening the heart (wake up a feeling of gratitude)
We do not have to sacrifice happiness for safety. We have the ability to protect ourselves by being vigilant and discerning while simultaneously practicing a conscious intention to be in a state of peace, calm and joy.
