Litany against fear- From DUNE a book by Frank Herbert
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the
little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit
it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the
inner eye and see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only
I will remain.“
Whenever we try to change our lives fear arises. Sometimes
it arises because we stumble on the path: “I gained a pound back. What if this is
where it all falls apart?” Sometimes it arises because the future is unknown:
“If I transform into someone new, who will I be?” Starting a new exercise practice, changing the way we eat,
taking a new fitness class can all be a catalyst for fear, but it doesn’t have
to derail us. There are ways to practice with fear and use them to connect with
our hearts desire.
1. ACKNOWLEGE THAT YOU ARE AFRAID
Everyone and I mean everyone gets afraid from time to time.
Some people are better at hiding it, denying it, or compartmentalizing it, but
everyone experiences fear. Resistance to fear is the first barrier to facing
our fear.
We want to deny that we are afraid. Most of us are afraid
that we will fail, fall flat on our faces, be embarrassed, gain all the weight
back, lose the girl/boy, become a source of shame for our family/friends, get
terminally ill and die alone and unloved. We try not to think about it because
if we do it will come true, or perhaps we’re afraid that we will see it is
already true.
Just say to yourself. I’m afraid.
2. FIND WHERE YOU FEEL FEAR IN YOUR BODY
Where do you feel fear? Is it a tight feeling in your chest?
Is it butterflies in your stomach? Are you clenching your jaw? Squeezing your
fists?
No matter where you feel it, try to go into the sensation.
What is the texture of it? What color is it? Is it related to any other part of
your body?
Take a piece of paper and describe it in as much detail as
possible. If you notice yourself thinking of the content of fear, stop, and go
back into your body.
3. ONCE YOU’VE DESCRIBED FEAR GET GROUNDED
Don’t stay in that fear response forever. It can be very tiring.
Instead do something grounding.
- Things that people find grounding
- Exercise, exercise, exercise
- Taking a walk outside
- Eating a piece of fruit
- Focusing on the bottoms of your feet
4. TRY TO SEE THE WHOLESOME DESIRE THAT IS SOURCE OF FEAR
Most fear arises from wholesome desires. Our strategies for
dealing with fear or the desires that cause fear can be unwholesome, but the fundamental
need underneath is usually wholesome and universal.
We want to be loved, appreciated, accepted, and
acknowledged. We want to be free, autonomous, joyous, playful, and independent.
We want to contribute, nurture, and be part of a community. We want beauty,
peace, ease, clarity, order, and predictability.
We might not need all of these at the same time. We might
have different ideas about what these would look like, but everything on that
list could be needed by anyone.
Try to see what that wholesome desire is for you. Your fear
often arises from not having these universal needs addressed.
5. FORGIVE YOURSELF FOR GETTING AFRAID/HOLD THE ONE WHO IS
AFRAID
Often we reject and criticize the part of us that gets
afraid.
Imagine if you were a child who was afraid. Now imagine a parent or teacher
criticized your fear, mocked it, and rejected you because of it. Would you feel
safer?
Forgive yourself for being afraid. Forgive the part of
yourself that is afraid. Visualize yourself as a child. Or if that’s too hard,
visualize the part of yourself that is afraid as a child.
Then comfort them. Tell them what you would tell a child
that is afraid. Imagine holding
them in your arms patting them on the back. Try putting your arms around
yourself and rubbing your own shoulder. Say “it’s ok to be afraid.”
We all experience fear. Fear can be a door into our own
hearts and the hearts of others if we are willing to stay with it and walk
through it.
