Fear: Friend or Enemy? Frenemy?

Do you experience a lot of fear in your life? Do you go back and forth between everything is great and the world is coming to an end? Do you have a hard time finding middle ground with your fear? Well, I know a lot about that.

That's been my life story.

As I was growing up, I had a lot of fear. So I ended up doing things that didn't really serve me very well. Like making big decisions, jumping into things without really thinking through what I was doing, or why I was doing it. And whether it made sense, like that.

I jumped into a marriage when I was young. I jumped out in a divorce when I was also young. I moved clear across the country, away from my family and friends and support system to a place where I knew nobody; which, let me tell you, scared the pants off me, but I did it.

So fear has played a role in a lot of the decisions I've made in my life, and fear has taken its toll. It's very draining! It's very draining of my energy. It can increase my anxiety and can really interrupt my sleep.

My fear shows up as anger. And it took me a while to really understand why I was angry all the time. It wasn't because I was angry. It was because I was afraid! It also keeps me ruminating over past decisions. Something I did yesterday, something I did this morning, something I feel I did wrong, so that I'm thinking about it all the time - all the time - all the time.

The more I do that, the more negative my thinking, the more fearful my thinking. And I start to see the world as a really fearful place.

And then I start having catastrophic thinking. So what does that mean? It's when something happens, like something small will happen and I'll be nervous about something or afraid about something, but then all of a sudden, now this next thing comes into the picture and this next thing comes into the picture. And this next thing comes ... it's just like, Oh my gosh! Now I'm living on the street and I'm homeless!

So going from something small to this catastrophe! And boy, that draining! Now, my healing process has been long. I've done some therapy, I've done some personal development, and I'm really trying to understand who I am, what role fear plays in my life, and how I make my way in the world.

I'm happy to say that now I'm much less reactive. I'm more centered and I'm truly uncovering who I am. And I'm not as afraid as I have been.

Do I still have fear in my life? Absolutely. What I have learned to do, and this is an ongoing process, is how to make fear, almost a trusted advisor. Something that can inform my decision-making: inform how I'm feeling, but not run me, not control me.

I'm going to be talking about this for the rest of this month, March, and on March 31st, I'm offering a free webinar: Fear: Friend or Enemy or Frenemy? How to make peace and find emotional balance with your fear.

It's a free webinar. It's going to be on Wednesday, March 31st at 4:00 PM. Arizona time. I hope you'll join me. Click here to sign up.

Thank you for listening.

Dr. Elaine.

To register for the webinar: https://www.drelainestewart.com/fear-friend-or-enemy-or-frenemy

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider for advice about a specific medical condition.