When was the last time you thought about fear? Not about what scares you, but what is driving the fear. I’ve been sitting with this and contemplating this very question. What exactly IS it? And if we can understand it, can that help to overcome fear?
I invite you to explore this with me to better understand your personal relationship to fear and how to overcome it! If you prefer video, please watch my video adaptation of this blogpost!
My Relationship To Fear
There is so much fear in the world today and it’s important to remember that this has been a persistent theme throughout our history. Personally, it’s something I’ve struggled with in pretty much every aspect of my life and the root of most of my anxiety.
I have been doing extensive work on my own fears and I’m very grateful to say that I have had massive shifts. Let me give you a real life example!
In a few months, I’m fulfilling a lifelong dream of being nomadic! I’ve talked about it since I was young, but it was always talk because….yup, fear! I actually joked about traveling the country with Pepper last year, but I didn’t think I actually could or would. Fear was holding me back. And releasing that fear is setting me free.
What Is Fear
This got me thinking about what IS fear exactly. So, the other day I sat with the concept of it. Staying as objective and neutral as I could, I tried to understand it at a deeper level.
I realized that when we talk about fear, it’s usually goes like this….
I am afraid of…
This/that scares me….
But what if….
I can’t because….
I’m too scared to….
He/she/they will….
The fear is always placed upon something or someone, so what IS it?
Then it hit me, fear is a lack of trust.
So much of fear is based in/on not trusting oneself and not trusting others. To be honest, I started writing out scenarios and I remembered what I’ve been guided to do, keep it concise. It dawned on me that every single one was a:
Lack of trust in self/Self
Lack of trust in others
Lack of trust in Mother Earth
Lack of trust in Source/Higher Power/God/Universe/Insert Your Label
If this doesn’t resonate, I invite you to sit with fear to better understand your personal relationship to it.
Explore Fear to Overcome Fear
If you are getting curious, I invite you to think about a fear that holds you back in life.
Try not to judge it, Notice it with a gentle compassionate awareness.
You might begin to recognize when it developed and why. Did anyone play a role? Who or what reinforces this fear in your life currently? Also know that if no background information arises, that is okay!!
When we shine a light on what scares us, it makes it much easier to work with. You don’t have to have the full picture, just shine a light to it.
Now ask yourself…
Where are you lacking in trust in this scenario? If trust doesn’t resonate with you, what is missing that is creating this sense of fear?
If this resonates, feel free to continue this exploration! You can get curious around 1 fear a day/week/month. You might want to dive in and do a brain dump of all of the fears holding you back and tackle them 1 at a time or in a thematic manner.
Exploring the fears might be enough to neutralize some. For others, consider the ways you can cultivate trust (or whatever is missing for you) to help soften the fear and move into alignment in your life.
How To Cultivate Trust
Interestingly enough, a balanced root chakra allows us to trust. And yes, fear is a sign of an imbalance root chakra! Our root chakra also governs our sense of safety, security, finances, home, lineage, health, grounding and our connection to the body. Many of the things that create fear in this world!
To be honest, I had no intention of connecting this to the chakras when I thought about writing a post about this.
To be even more honest, I wasn’t going to write about this at all. Once again, I felt the nudge and it started flowing out of me. This one also has not been simmering in my mind for very long, so I imagine I’ll have updates to my beliefs around it in the future!
Root Chakra
If it resonates for you, here are various pieces of content that I’ve created to help you better understand the root chakra and how to work with it.
Videos:
5 signs your Root Chakra is Out of Balance
How to Balance Your Root Chakra
5 minute Root Chakra Meditation
Root Chakra Affirmation Meditation
Blog Posts:
How to Reconnect With Your Body
Insight Timer Meditations:
There are tons of books and articles about the chakras! Feel free to check out my two chakra courses if you want to learn more.
Approaches to Cultivate Trust
Working with the root chakra is just one approach to cultivating trust. There are so many ways to go about it and it will look different for everyone.
It often involves getting very honest with yourself and in your relationships with others. This lends itself to open communication and vulnerability. Remember that everyone’s path in this work will look different. Do what works for you and know that it might take time to figure that out.
For me, spirituality has been instrumental in my ability to trust. Trusting that life is all about learning lessons and growing as a human, but most of all as a soul. It helps me not to take things too seriously when I see it in the bigger context of the soul’s journey.
If you read my last post, I spoke about how our perceptions create our reality. Examining your own beliefs and mindsets and consciously shifting them to align to trust can pave the road for you to overcome fear. Easier said than done of course!
Go easy and gentle with yourself and as always stay curious friends!!
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Disclaimer: This post is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute individualized support or medical advice.
Blair is a registered dietitian, certified intuitive eating counselor, E-500 RYT and Reiki Master. She integrates spirituality with modern day scienc