The other day, I went to go outside for a walk, and I was filled with a paralyzing fear. There was nothing specific that I was fearful of – sure, I think of COVID19 every time I go outside, I also suffer from anxiety, but this…. This was different, it was not rational, it filled me with terror. When I told my friends about the event, they both exclaimed “Hallelujah that you didn’t go out! Clearly the spirit was speaking to you.”
Fear is an old friend… our brains process fear at the most primal level – the fight or flight instinct that we all talk about. This is an opportunity for us to learn, and for me to learn, that fear is a part of us. Just like everything else in the universe is a part of us and it has a reason; it is protecting us. The protection works when we have a healthy relationship with fear.
Michal and Hazakyah then shared their experiences with fear…
Hazakyah told us of his method of dealing with fear – to face it head on. He knew he had to deal with fear, and this is the deal that he made with his fear: you can come with me anywhere I go, but you can never stand in my way. For example, he talks of his fear of heights and how he overcame it by studying and practicing skydiving – acknowledging his fear and facing it head on.
This story, shared with Michal, brought her to reflect at a time in her life on fear. Hit in the middle of the night with irrational fear, as she was walking a familiar path, she realized that she too needed to process these irrational fears and do something about them so they will not interfere with her life.
Michal spoke of the power of imagination in dealing with irrational fear, reducing the giant fierce monster that was irrational fear in her life to a small, cute, smiling lucifer who now resides in her imaginary pocket. Whenever Michal faces a decision she checks in with the companion in her pocket and to see if it is smiling.
When we understand that everything is in us, including fear, we are presented with an opportunity to learn more about ourselves. To gain the benefit of the protection that fear offers us, we need to examine it and work with it to understand our selves and our environments. Each of us have tools to help learn to live healthy lives, and we can use these tools to address fear in a healthy way.
If you want to learn more about these tools, you can always ask for help. Please reach out to any one of us: Kimberly, Michal or Hazakyah, or ask anyone who you think would help.
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