Wellbeing

Say Goodbye to Fear

And say hello to belief instead, says Emma Cannon

In Chinese medicine, belief is the emotion associated with the water element. It is where we find our flow in life – the ability to be like water flowing effortlessly towards the sea. It also represents our will, our deep sense of evolution, how we make our mark on the world – our purpose. The opposite of belief is fear and this is huge; society has become very fear-based. Fear is used to influence us, sell us things and to keep us from putting our heads above the parapet. We are fed a belly full of fear through newspapers, social media and politics, and this begets more fear. Fear spreads very quickly.

How to cultivate belief over fear:

1) Belief can develop when we allow ourselves to dream. Record your dreams in your journal and look into the meanings of them. Try not to just Google the meaning or look it up in a book. Write down the main parts of the dream as soon as you wake up and keep the dream with you in the day. Ponder it and see what comes to you.

2) Make a list of all the resources you have; they can be people, skills, or things. Put them in your journal. You already have many resources – sometimes it is a matter of acknowledging what they are.

3) Do something everyday that scares you – just a little. We all have fears, but one of the ways we grow is to face these fears and overcome them.

4) Fear makes the body feel unsafe and that we need to defend ourselves. Of course, this is very helpful in terms of our survival and would have saved us from certain death many times. However, we have become habitually stuck in this survival mode.

Our beliefs can ultimately end up defining us and it has been said that we become what we believe.

If we believe that we are unlovable, we will probably attract and create relationships where we are unlovable because we are so attached to our negative belief about ourselves.

Some people become so beholden and wedded to their beliefs that they never progress or grow, because they are clinging desperately to a certain belief system.

I see this so often in clinic, with people saying negative things like: “I have always thought I would struggle to find a partner.” “I believe that if we have a baby it will ruin our marriage.” “I believe that I will struggle in life.” “I have abused my body and so I know this is not going to be easy.” “I am too old and I fear it is too late for me.”

Fear is an emotion that is generated from within; it is a survival instinct. Many years ago, fear would have warned us that we were in danger. Our systems would be flooded with adrenaline and we would have a temporary burst of energy and power to help us run away from danger. The problem is that our modern lives have us living out of fear and lack; this lack feeling has taught us that there is never going to be enough to go round, not enough money, food or resources. If someone else is winning, then I must be losing. It teaches us poverty thinking, and it keeps us small, as we begin to live our lives from these self-limiting beliefs.

So, we create what we believe and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Using your journal, record all the beliefs and fears that you can think of that might be blocking you from being a fertile thinker. It is important to acknowledge that we have a choice in what we believe and how much power we give to negative feelings about ourselves.

Let the negative thoughts come up from the place of fear inside you and then let it clear and replace it with a positive statement. You will need to identify and state your self-limiting belief and then replace it with a positive statement, such as: “I no longer wish to believe that I will struggle in life.” “I choose for it to be easy and enjoyable.” “I no longer wish to believe that having a new job with more responsibility will ruin my marriage.” “I choose to believe that it will bring joy and happiness”

Practice this for the next few weeks, and in my next column I will help you identify your inner resources. Allow your life to bear fruit.

Article by

Emma Cannon

Integrated Health Expert & Acupuncturist