Finding freedom from fear does not mean that you are not appropriately fearful when you are threatened. It is not a sign of weakness if something scares you. However fear is a powerful emotion and when allowed to, can control every part of your life.
I was literally scared to near death in December of 2012. I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I saw my life flashing by and in total fear I thought I was nearing the end. I took the fear so deep into my psyche that I had paralyzed my life with it. I took on all the fear that every doctor had dished out to me. I would see a doctor and they would look at my scans and shake their heads and say, “I am sorry…blah blah…” To further my deep seeded fear I read every blog and all the horror stories about what lied before me in cancer treatment. Feeding all my terror! For 2 months I toiled and wrestled with that fear emotion. I bought into all the possible devastation as my truth and my future. It was the darkest time of my life. I had worked myself into a fever pitch of sleepless night and grumpy days. I fed my fear to my family and friends. I made it almost impossible to support or console me.
Because of a planned dream vacation I put off any surgery or treatment for 2.5 months. While on this vacation I set aside time for soul searching. It dawned on me one day while sitting on the beach that I was feeding my fear like a pet. I nurtured it and if I didn’t let go of it, my fear of death would envelop me. So here are the steps I took to take back my life and overcome my fear!
My Steps to Overcoming my Fear of Breast Cancer:
- I sought out success stories that uplifted me and gave me hope
- I educated myself so that when I had conversations about my condition I was stating facts and not theory
- I took on the roll of CEO of my health
- I fortified my body with clean whole foods
- I spoke only of things that had a positive emotion associated with them
- I formed a team around me that I trusted and could speak openly to if my fear tried to creep back in
- I cut all ties with any fearful emotion and faced them head on, knowing the worse thing that could happen had already occurred
- I stopped feeling sorry for myself and released the anger I had for my situation
Now 2.5 years later I am on top and cancer free! I am healthy and I don’t fear cancer any longer. Why? Because I have educated myself about how cancer works in the body. So I know I can battle it back. Now I associate my cancer with one of the best thing that ever happened to me. I always say that cancer saved my life. You see, because of my cancer ordeal, when faced with darkness I am equipped to always look for the light. When you learn to control your fears the light and power you have will shine bright and dispel all darkness.
I will say again you are not weak because you have a fear of something. It is a natural human emotion. Fear sometimes keeps you safe. So I am not talking about a phobia, like a fear of snakes. I am talking about the emotional fear, like the fear of failure, fear of loneliness, fear of loss, fear of rejection, fear of illness. These are the types of fear that can control you. Chronic fear will certainly manifest itself in your life. If you are constantly fearful of losing your job, that fear transfers to others and weakens you. It gives someone else your power. Do you see the danger there? Living in fear is so very destructive. Here are 5 steps help you evaluate your fear level.
5 Simple Steps to Help Evaluate Your Fear Level
- Do you lose sleep over it?
If you’re constantly losing sleep over being fearful, your fear is controlling you. - Do you fall short when trying to reach your set goals?
If you are setting goals and constantly not reaching them your fear is holding you back in life. - Is it impossible for someone you trust to council or console you?
When you resist help from others concerning your fear it is time to face that fear head on. - Do you take every opportunity to tell someone your fear?
You are giving all your power to that fear by giving it any credit in your life. - Are there no rational causes or concerns for your fear? You can’t think of one time when your fear actually caused you bodily harm or even manifested itself. This is irrational fear of the unknowns and “what if’s”.
Now how do you heal the emotion of fear? This will take some work on your part. Normally it does not go away on its own. You have to will it away by not giving it any power in your life. Try these steps over and over again to build your mental muscle against fear.
Steps for Overcoming Fear
- Replace the negative emotion of fear with any of these positive emotions: Desire, Faith, Love, Enthusiasm, or Hope!
- Educate yourself about your fear. Read, ask questions, remove the untruths and do not assume you know the answers. Take time to find the facts!
- Be truthful with yourself. Making sure the fear is valid is sometimes the key to shedding your fears. Also don’t be afraid of the truth, it can set you free.
- Meditate or pray with thoughts of light and gratitude. Find something that inspires you and brings you joy. When your fear tries to creep in replace it with your meditated thoughts.
- Establish accountability with someone you trust. Pick a person in your life you can open up with and honestly discuss your fear with. If you lose control ask this person for help to bring you back to center.
When you learn to control your fears, the light you possess will shine brighter than the light of day! Your goals will get met and your life balance will be restored. I don’t fear cancer anymore. It does cross my mind now and again, but it has no control over me. Don’t let your fears hold you back, take all that energy you spend being fearful and put it towards your whole being.
Thank you to my friend Pim at Absolute Nutrition who encouraged me to write this post! The work you are doing with cancer awareness is so powerful and I believe in you 100%. Please visit my friend Pim at http://www.absolutnutrition.co.uk.
XO,
