It’s the dreaded four letter word that keeps springing up in our lives like a weed that doesn’t go away . Unlike that pesky weed, your goal shouldn’t be to get rid of fear, but instead to change your relationship with it . How about if you decide to hold fear in one hand and courage in the other? How differently will you look at the things that you are afraid to do ? Here are five effective techniques that you can use whenever you feel that knot in the pit of your stomach :
• Visualise the best case scenario
Daydream! Because that is exactly what visualising is about . Instead of thinking about the worse that can happen , why not switch your thoughts to focusing on the best that can happen ? I have found that doing this helps to put my mind at ease and suddenly the thing that I fear doesn’t seem as scary as before .
• Affirm what you want
Affirm! Affirm! Affirm! You may be what you think, but you are also what you say -or write . Affirmations are a huge part of my daily routine and they have helped tremendously in changing my relationship with fear . Write little reassuring notes and stick them on your mirror as reminders to say them often . You can also write out your affirmations in a cute notebook – get creative !
• Talk about it with someone you trust
Sure , you may feel awkward talking about your fears but you may be surprised at how relieved you are once you have spilled the beans. Find someone who you are comfortable with to talk to . You may be stunned that they too have some of the same fears .
• Sweat it out
Hit the gym ! I have recently joined the gym and I feel so much better overall ; I literally feel like I can conquer the world after a session . And that is because exercise has been proven to release endorphins which put you in a better mood . Fear may just have to take a back seat for a minute or two .
• Implement the 5 second rule
This rule has changed my life for the better . It was coined by Mel Robbins ( look her up , she’s awesome ). According to Mel, your brain only has a five second window in which it decides whether or not you should do something . The rule is this : you count from 5 through to 1 ( 5, 4, 3, 2, 1), then immediately do the thing that you are thinking of doing . At the count of 1, you are forced to ACT!
Have you used any of the techniques above to change your relationship with the fear of failure ? Comment in the comment section and let me know.