Neutralizing Fear

"When our attitude toward fear becomes more welcoming and inquisitive,

there's a fundamental shift that occurs."

Pema Chodron

THE PLACES THAT SCARE YOU

Our bodies are reacting with physical responses before we understand the content. We may have shortness of breath, increased heart rhythms, clenching of teeth or cramping in the stomach.  Our physical  response to fear is automatic and not necessarily based on fact.

Time does not always allow ourselves to be pensive in the state of fear, but when we make deep breathing our first action, we can slow things down.  It will give us time to question what is triggering the fear.  Then we can evaluate if the fear is factual or fiction.  

Our reaction to a spider, for example, may have originated in our early years.  We may be reacting on automatic pilot.  When we investigate, we realize our defenses against a spider as an adult are much greater than as a child. Then we can begin to neutralize the reaction.

Our 'fight or flight' reaction may be based upon a previous harmful situation.  When we take a breath, we can talk ourselves down and explore the root of the fear.  When we are simply responding to something similar to our past, we can begin to condition our body to have a different response just by acknowledging our fear.

The work with fear is successful when we reframe, neutralize, and understand the surrounding circumstances.  To use deep breathing as our first response, we can facilitate a more accurate response not using unnecessary energy or creating additional stress.