Reclaiming Peace and Letting Go of Fear

For a lot of us, it can feel like fear is constantly sitting on our shoulder and whispering in our ear about how dangerous and unsafe life is. A lot of us are stuck in survival mode, and it’s exhausting. But it can change. It doesn’t matter if your fears come from trauma, anxiety, uncertainty, or the sheer weight of being alive right now, you can free yourself from fear’s grip. The first step is to become very specific about what you are afraid of. Fear thrives in vagueness. When we don’t name what we’re afraid of, our brains keep spinning, preparing for every possible danger. Often, the simple act of naming our fear starts to reduce it. Once we know what we are afraid of, we can make a plan to address our specific fear. Over time we will learn that we are capable of conquering the things that scare us.

In addition to knowing that we can overcome our fear and tackle whatever comes our way, we must also create a general understanding that we are safe. This requires us to challenge the story fear tells us. It helps to remember that life is not a series of absolutes, this or that. We are usually in a place of movement; that is to say, not in a static place of success or failure. Fear likes to tell a story of being doomed, and that is rarely the truth. As long as we are alive, we can make changes and improve our outcomes. Owning our personal ability to make changes that will improve our circumstances helps us realize that we are safe and downturns are temporary. This change in perspective will allow us to have a balanced vision of our safety and life.

It is important to not expect yourself to have zero fear because that is generally too big of a leap. Learning to manage and coexist with your fear creates a more resilient change. Know that you are more than your fear. No matter how loud fear becomes, it is not your identity. It’s a passing state. You are so much more than the things you’re afraid of. And even if you don’t feel strong today, the fact that you’re still here, still searching for peace, still trying reflects your strength. You’re doing better than you think. You deserve to feel safe in your own mind again. Know that you can name and tame your fears and have more good days than bad.