The video above is a perfect example of what moving through fear looks like. Now don’t get wrong, I love adventures, but I may have fell one too many times during my cheerleading stunting days because I always feel scared doing things that involve heights. This was the 2nd zip line on the course and I was still afraid. Even in the briefing, the guide assured us that each little hook could support 200 lbs. We had 2 of them supporting us which was more than enough because and I only weighed 118 lbs at that time.

I saw others take the trip before me so there was NO reason for me to be afraid, but I was. In my head I would repeat, its ok Amber, you are safe, but my body was like NOPE! You made bad decisions before so I definitely don’t trust you LOL!

We have to understand that our body will always try to protect us especially when it comes to doing things we have never done before. Since fear is stored in our nervous system, our body will ignore the facts of we hear and make  decisions based on what happened to us in previous traumatic situations. This is why we may agree to doing things but back down and cancel at the last minute. This is also why people scream about drowning in a kiddie pool before somebody comes and tells them to stand up. Its natural! There is nothing wrong with being afraid, but when we fail to determine which emotions are holding us back and which emotions are protecting us then that’s where we are in trouble.

Understanding Your Intuition

So I know you may have had an instance in the past where you felt prompted to go a certain direction later to find that there was a big accident or traffic jam in that area. Or you you got the urge not to buy something that everyone was raving about just to hear later on, that there was a recall for that particular product. That feeling is called intuition  which is your ‘inner guide’ or Holy Spirit. is always trying to protect you and lead you to your highest good. Usually this feeling comes with a strong sense of urgency and power. This feeling is lovely and it always gives you a sign of relief and you usually say, “something told me to go that way… I’m glad I did!” 

Understanding Fear

If you want to put it into terms of balance, then fear would be the Ying to intuition’s Yang. If intuition is the Holy Spirit then fear would be Satan leading you from your good. Fear…

• Is deceptive, it wants you to think that it is protecting you but it is really holding you back.
• It usually sets in after you know your options but you DIDN’T choose your first choice. 
• Protects you from losing something that you have, but probably don’t need.
• Keeps you from your highest good because it wants you believe that it won’t get better. 
• Lies and keeps you complacent, stuck in your comfort zone.
• Usually comes with the feeling of of urgency… but to retreat.
• Brings the feeling of being threatened instead of power.

This is why it’s best to question what you are afraid of when the feeling arises. Am I really in danger or am I just afraid of losing something that my ego needs to feel in control? Is this really a risky decision or do I feel nervous because I am doing something that may actually help me step into the person I always wanted to be? 

Your Fears can Help You Tap into Your Intuition

Your fears can help you connect to your intuition by giving you a sense of what you need to pay attention to. When you’re afraid of something, it’s usually because your intuition is telling you that something is wrong. If you can learn to listen to your fears, they can be a valuable tool for making good decisions.

If this is the case, here are a few tips for connecting to your intuition through your fears:

• Pay attention to your gut feelings. When you have a strong feeling about something, take a moment to listen to it. What is your intuition trying to tell you?
• Be honest with yourself about your fears. Don’t try to suppress them or pretend they don’t exist. The more you can acknowledge your fears, the easier it will be to work with them.
• Don’t judge your fears. Your fears are just trying to protect you. Try to see them as helpful information, rather than something to be ashamed of.
• Take action based on your intuition. If you feel like something is wrong, don’t ignore it. Take steps to protect yourself or change the situation.

Connecting to your intuition through your fears can be a powerful way to make better decisions and live a more fulfilling life. In other cases, your fears can be indicative of subconscious beliefs that were created from traumatic experiences of your past designed to keep you safe. The only thing is that these subconscious beliefs no longer serve you but are now holding you back from achieving the life, career or relationships that you desire.  

Now if your subconscious beliefs are the cause of your fears, here are a few tips for overcoming your fears and replacing them with faith:

• Identify your fears. The first step to overcoming your fears is to identify them. What are you afraid of? Once you know what you’re afraid of, you can start to address it.
• Challenge your fears. Once you know what you’re afraid of, you can start to challenge your fears. Ask yourself if your fears are realistic. Are you really going to fail if you make one mistake? Are you really going to be rejected if you put yourself out there?
• Face your fears. The only way to truly overcome your fears is to face them. This doesn’t mean that you have to do something that scares you every day, but you should gradually expose yourself to your fears in a safe and controlled environment.
• Seek professional help. If you’re struggling to overcome your fears on your own, it’s important to seek professional help. A therapist or life coach can help you understand your fears and develop strategies for overcoming them.

Tapping Into Your Emotions is Not a Bad Thing

When I was younger, I was always picked on for being emotionally sensitive. In reality, I was just a kid surrounded around emotionally unavailable individuals who did not know how to handle somebody who was in tune with their emotions. I know a lot of children grow up like this which plays a big part in the high rates of people diagnosed with anxiety over the years. 

Fortunately, I learned how to use my emotionally sensitive nature to my advantage so I differentiate between my intuition and my fears.  Being able to so can save you a lot of grief and heartache so you won’t waste time putting faith into the wrong things.

It has kind of become the norm for individuals to tell people to stop being emotional instead of actually talking to them to understand what is causing them to react that way. When you determine the root cause of your emotions, you will be able to determine whether you are reacting towards the current situation at hand… or if you are actually replaying situations from past traumas…But I digress… Anywho! Moral of the story…

 

Fear Holds You Back…

In the case of my zip lining adventure, my fear was holding me back. You can literally see my momentum slowing down as a result. I was literally fighting through my fear trying to remind myself that I was safe.  Which is why you saw my feet do the little dangle, pause and lift, before I left the platform. I was literally preventing myself from enjoying the ride.

A good lesson to learn from my zip lining experience is that when you face your fears and move forward anyway, you will be able to push your comfort zones and enjoy the world from a different view. Not only was I able to overcome my fears, but it allowed me to enlarge my vision while increasing my self efficacy as well. Facing your fears helps you recognize that  those hard things you were resisting are not as hard or scary as you made them out to be. Perhaps they are scary simply because they are things you just haven’t mastered or overcome yet. 

Another important concept to understand from facing your fears is how it helps build your self-worth, confidence and you will be more prone to trust in your capabilities. All you have to do is push past that fear and put forth some effort. When you trust your capabilities and succeed, you will be able to look back on these moments to give you the strength to do it again in future circumstances.  

Something told me to pick zip lining as one of the activities for the trip. Out of the 3 activities planned for the weekend, it was actually the only one that wasn’t cancelled. I had NEVER done zip lining before and I chose this excursion because around this time I was just starting my coaching business and I knew  that if I was going to ask individuals to push past their fear, I was going to have to remind myself how that felt. 

Having a hard time differentiating between faith and fear? My Tap In coaching program can help you reprogram subconscious beliefs, reconnect your mind, body and spirit, reduce chronic stress and anxiety, create a deeper connection to your intuition, improve your emotional intelligence and help you create the life of your dreams. If you are ready to set goals and follow through with them to transform your health, life and relationships then click here for more details.  I hope this helps!

In Good Health,
Amber Stewart BS,
Holistic Nutritionist
Certified Master Life Coach
ACSM Exercise Physiologist,
CTNC Mental Health Specialist
TBMM Corrective Exercise Specialist