Image by kone kassoum 

Narrated by Marie T. Russell

Video version of this article

Fear is debilitating. It affects us, our thinking, our health, and our relationships. And we know it is very present in these times. But there are ways to leave fear behind and enter a life of joy — for we are meant to live in joy, not fear.

Do these four steps in order, and you will enable yourself to journey away from a life run by fear and into a new existence of compassion and open-hearted joy:

1. Develop Awareness

The first step on your journey is to develop an awareness of your own fears. Fear does a great job at hiding itself, and we can’t fix something if we aren’t aware of the problem.

Many of us are aware that we’re afraid of certain things, such as getting sick from a pandemic, losing our job, or perhaps never finding a significant other.

But we have fears that hide in our subconscious as well, some of which support our more obvious fears. For instance, our fear that we won’t find a significant other may stem from a fear that we are not lovable enough. Many who have been sexually abused have a fear of not being in control as that is what helps them feel safe. As we age, we have a large fear around what will happen to us when we get older, and when we die.

We become aware of our hidden fears by watching our emotions and reactions. Carl Jung, the father of analytical psychology, said that projection is a common phenomenon. We are rarely angry for the reasons we think — it is usually our fear or guilt being projected out. Similarly, blame is a projection of guilt, and judgment is a projection of our self-judgment, which is a type of fear.

We can’t live fear-free and have healthy and authentic relationships as long as these false messages run within us. When we start to witness our reactions and judgments, we can begin to pull these projections back in and apply self-forgiveness and a higher perspective as to how these beliefs were created through conditioning — both individual (parents, caretakers, bosses, etc.) and societal (marketing messages that constantly tell us we are not good enough unless we have this product or service).

2. Be in the Now and in Our Body

Spiritual masters from all religions and traditions have told us that only the present moment exists, and science has confirmed the relativity of time. This is important because fear lives only in the past and future.

Begin to witness your thoughts and how they are constantly in the past or in the future. This is referred to as mindfulness. You may be thinking, “Why did I say that to my boss yesterday?” “How am I going to pay that bill next week?” The future is an especially bad breeding ground for fear — we tend to come up with all of these imagined negative scenarios that rarely happen.

Additionally, being in the now places us in our body. Our fears and beliefs are stored in our cells, and to release these beliefs, we have to find a better balance between our thoughts, which is where most people are, and our body and feelings.

Potential practices to place us in the body and the now are meditation, being in nature, dance, counseling, voicing our fears, journaling, drumming, creative endeavors such as painting or cooking — anything that works for us individually.

3. Want It, Allow It, Trust It

Many people will say they want to be free of fear for good, but in truth, they are not willing to take the steps needed to do just that. They are comfortable in their lives, satisfied with their reputations, and content to maintain their dysfunctional relationships. They have settled for far less than the joy and peace that is available to them and they live in a prison cell of their own making.

The Universe is pushing us to grow, but unfortunately many resist. You can see from the huge number of people with addictions – drugs and alcohol, wealth and power, food, porn, technology and the internet, and more.

We can continue down this downward cycle or we can see what is happening from a higher perspective, understanding there is a purpose behind the clearing of what is false within us. A spiritual practice or belief is extremely helpful, whether that is a belief in God or some type of higher power or creator, or simply a belief that we exist in an organized, intelligent, and loving (non-punishing) Universe. We are not this narrow ego lens through which we see the world.  

As we trust and allow ourselves to flow with life instead of resisting it, we will see improvement in all of our relationships from personal to business to our communities. And we will be spontaneously joyful! Life will show us how to best utilize our gifts to help the world.

4. Bring Ourselves into the Heart

The electromagnetic field coming from the heart is 60 times larger than what comes from the brain. The heart is literally the seat of our consciousness. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  When we move into the heart, we literally “see” things very differently. And we are centered both in the present moment and in our body.

Gratitude, compassion, and forgiveness are practices that enable us to move into the heart. But many don’t use these spiritual muscles, so we have to practice them. The Universe will present many opportunities for us to do this, and sometimes it may seem hard. Our ego may be saying that someone doesn’t deserve forgiveness or compassion, but when we do these practices, the doors of heaven will literally open for us, and we can feel this.

Here is a simple exercise to feel this: Think of something you are fearful about and hold this feeling. You will feel the contracting energy. Now think of something for which you are grateful, and you can feel an opening and rising energy in your body.

Compassion Opens the Eyes and Heart 

Compassion recognizes we are one humanity.  How can we judge another when we don’t have a large enough perspective to know their life experience? If we had that experience, maybe we would be conducting our life exactly as they are.

Compassion doesn’t condone the action but simply allows us to understand how and why that person may have arrived at that choice. Again, non-compassion and non-forgiveness of others reflects how we feel about ourselves.

Copyright 2020. All Rights Reserved.
Publisher : One-Hearted Publishing.

Article Source

A Book On Fear: Feeling Safe In A Challenging World
by Lawrence Doochin

Even if everyone around us is in fear, this doesn't have to be our personal experience. We are meant to live in joy, not in fear. By taking us on a treetop journey through quantum physics, psychology, philosophy, spirituality, and more, A Book On Fear gives us tools and awareness to see where our fear comes from. When we see how our belief systems were created, how they limit us, and what we have become attached to that creates fear, we will come to know ourselves at a deeper level. Then we can make different choices to transform our fears. The end of each chapter includes a suggested simple exercise that can be done quickly but that will shift the reader into an immediate higher state of awareness about that chapter’s topic.

For more info and/or to order this book, click here.

More books by this Author.

About the Author

Lawrence Doochin is an author, entrepreneur, and devoted husband and father. A survivor of harrowing childhood sexual abuse, he traveled a long journey of emotional and spiritual healing and developed an in-depth understanding of how our beliefs create our reality. In the business world, he has worked for, or been associated with, enterprises from small startups to multinational corporations. He is the cofounder of HUSO sound therapy, which delivers powerful healing benefits to individual and professionals worldwide. In everything Lawrence does, he strives to serve a higher good. His new book is A Book on Fear: Feeling Safe in a Challenging World. Learn more at LawrenceDoochin.com. 

Podcast/Interview with Lawrence Doochin: How to Pull Yourself into the Now and Overcome Fear
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