Yesterday we talked about the difference between Unhealthy and Healthy fear. Now we will look at some of the steps that can be implemented which will help develop new behaviors.
Have a look at what you wrote yesterday. Did it give you an insight into whether your anxiety stemmed from Healthy or Unhealthy fear? What else did you learn from this exercise? Once you have done this, make an honest assessment of your fear, and then write down ways you can overcome it by developing a plan of action. For example, you may have a fear of meeting new people. During your exercise you realized you were fearful of rejection.
Congratulations this is a huge step in overcoming this fear. Understanding that it is not the fear of people, but rather the fear of their reaction or inaction towards you. Now, it’s time for some more writing…….. I have listed below some questions to ask yourself. Start writing whatever comes to mind.
- How has this fear affected me in my life so far?
- How long have I had this fear? Was there an event that triggered this fear?
- What has this fear prevented me from doing or having or being?
- How have these fears affected my self image and self esteem?
- Am I ready to let go of these fears and make changes to my life?
This last question is probably the most important. We usually choose a behavior in our lives that in some way gives us payback. So be very honest when answering this question. What, if any benefits can you recognize that you receive from this fear?
Then another important question and one which will help immensely:
- What will my life be like once I have let go of this fear? What are some things I can do which this fear has prevented me from doing?
Imagine the way your life could be by “facing your fear and doing it anyway”.
There is so much more to write on this topic, and I will continue tomorrow.
It is important that if you are under the guidance of a medical practitioner that you continue to follow their advice. This article is for general information only.
Thanks for sharing these steps. Sometimes I can get overwhelmed, and don’t really know what to do. I printed these out and have on my wall. Thank you
Thank you for this article. Good time for me to come across something like this…just what I needed
As someone who has suffered anxiety in the past, great tips and steps. Sometimes all we need is someone or something to help us along..but in the end it is the person suffering anxiety which have to want to do something for ourselves. it took me a long time to realize this – all those wasted years, but all good now.
Good suggestions!
Having overcome this….a long process, but one you can get through. I used most of the things outlined here with a lot of help from friends and family. The first step was to make a decision I didn’t want to stay where I was.
Thank you for this
A complex and increasing problem in the Western world – it seems drs are making matters worse by prescribing pills as soon as you walk in the door.
Howdy just wanted to give you many thanks
You have made some good points here
Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on websites I read everyday, and this is one I visit regularly. have noticed you haven’t posted on here for a while – what’s up?
Dwight, this will change in the coming weeks. Have been posting daily on Facebook, but the common question I am receiving recently is why haven’t I updated this site recently – this will change
Please write some more posts – missing you on your web page. 🙁
Thank you Nelson – am in the process of writing now – new posts to follow
Love your style. I am often on Facebook and have noticed that some people are copying some of your articles from here, changing a few words and using them as their own. Can you do anything about this?
Thanks Janelle. I am unfortunately unable to do anything about this, but take it as a compliment that people would copy my work. I can only write what I believe in passionately and write from the heart. It is sad for the copiers if they do not use their own work and utilise their own talents. Some may not have their own life experiences to write about – which is a common thing on the web. Thank you for your concern – I appreciate it.
Sending this to my little sister <3
This helped.
Hello just wanted to give you a quick heads up – great article. Kudos
Having suffered from anxiety, this helped a lot…one step at a time
Awesome 🙂
You have probably the greatest web pages