How do we unglue ourselves from fear?

Fear,

However, as we age, it seems ‘fear’ seems to creep more and more into your psyche even if we don’t want it to.

Just recently I sensed a little bit of fear myself and I had to have a good word with myself.

Last year I bought a bike and every day you found me on it.

But the bike got put away safely for winter and it was going to be a few months before it saw the light of day again.

A few months ago, a dear friend of mine suggested a bike ride in the New Forest, something I had always wanted to do. I felt quite excited, but as the weeks marched forward, I started to feel fearful.

What on earth was I afraid of? I hit the internet to find out how I could overcome these collywobbles. Turns out you need to:

• Write down your fears and describe how they make you feel

• Acknowledge your accomplishments in life

• Grasp the nettle and do the thing you fear the most As I read the words, I knew they made sense.

I wrote down what my fears were. Turns out I was scared the bike had been stolen, that it was broken, and I was nervous of getting the bike into the back of the car on my own (plus my car is always full).

Leading up to the day out, I went down to the bike store to check if the bike was there. It was, so fear number one disappeared. However, on bike ride day, as I unharnessed the bike, I saw straight away that both tyres were flat. Without a pump it wasn’t only the tyres that felt flat. But then I did the thing I do more often now, I stayed calm and thought logically. I could get the bike repaired in Brockenhurst, there was no need to cancel. And even if the bike could not be repaired, I could easily hire a bike and still go on a ride with my friend. The bike could be repaired later. I loaded the bike easily into my car. I arrived in Brockenhurst early and headed straight to the bike shop. Fifteen minutes later, with the bike fixed and with a coffee in hand, I greeted my friend, as calm as a cucumber. Turns out I had nothing to fear, and a lovely day was had by the both of us, even the sun shone.

Next time you feel a bit wobbly, why not follow the steps above and then push yourself through and out of your comfort zone?

Just like the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz you are much braver than you think you are.

Beth

www.thelifestyleconcept.co.uk

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