Today we go into the start of the third practice we can all start adopting to help us cope with what is happening all around us.

Practice No 3 - Understand where fear comes from

We all have a primal physical fear.

We are afraid when something is chasing us, or in this case, we are afraid that we could die from this pandemic. This is a type of fear which is impulsive in all of us. It is reactive – the amygdala fires and we find ourselves in the freeze, fight or flight response. This is an unconscious, mostly uncontrollable fear.

When you feel fear, there are only three reasons why it is showing up. In today’s article, we talk about the first reason, the fear of loss.

THE PAIN OF LOSS

We fear we are going to lose our health. We fear we are going to lose our business income. We might lose a relationship with someone that we love. We might lose a steady income. We are going to lose the comforts or the certainties which we currently enjoy. Loss pain is the primary fear driver for most people.

If you are experiencing a lot of anxiety right now it is probably that you are scared to lose something. Any time you are afraid of losing something, you need to do a perspective check.

Ask yourself: “Have I really lost it? Have I lost it in the past?”

Then flip it…

Because on the other side of fear is confidence. Look at the other side of the coin. In other words, ask yourself: “What could I gain from all of this?”

The Universal law of polarity states that everything has an equal opposite. You cannot create the light without the dark. You cannot create the good without the bad. They are both created at the exact same time. In this time of chaos, when many are going to experience loss because that is what they are afraid of and manifesting, there are going to be just as many who are going to experience gain. Which side are you going to choose to focus on?

If you can learn to turn a fear into an opportunity, you will achieve a certain level of power in your life. Where are you going to put your emotional and mental energy?

This time might be an opportunity for us all to really connect with our humanity again. On a personal level it might be a time for you to really take stock of your life again. For example:

• You can decide to take this time to take control of your health again. Realising how precious life is, and how important health is, you can recommit to a healthy future you.
• If you are in a position where you are suffering financially because of what is happening, realise what is currently happening is not at fault. All your decisions and actions in the past have contributed to where you currently are, and the current situation is only the magnifying glass. Use this opportunity to decide that today is the first day of the rest of your life. Decide that from this moment on you are going to make better decisions.

We can all use this time to look at our humanity. How are we treating each other. Instead of focusing on what we all have to lose, why not rather start focusing on what we all have to gain from this collective experience? How are we treating each other? Do we realise that rich or poor, black or white, we are all affected by the same pandemic? Can we turn this fear into opportunity?

What are you afraid of losing right now?

Are you afraid of losing your health? Well, use this time to focus on what you could gain in your health.

• Start that exercise program again.
• Start focusing on what you are eating.
• If you are stuck at home, rest and give your body time to recover.

Do some research into healthy eating habits. Use this time to gain instead of losing when it comes to your health. If you are finding yourself stuck at home, or wanting to use this time to improve your health, here is a link to a great place to start learning exactly how to do that – one I highly recommend - https://www.facebook.com/OmMySoulYogaVeda/

Are you afraid of losing your job or your business? Have you already lost a lot on the stock market? Have you lost customers or business deals? 

I do get it, but I invite you to honestly think back in time:

• Has something similar happened to you before?
• Have you had setbacks in life before?
• Have you had times when it seemed you were just constantly losing before?

I bet it has.

Have you had a time in the past when a major client did not pay you? Have you had a time in the past when you did not know what the next quarter was going to look like?

I bet you had times in the past when you did not even know how you were going to pay the rent. But guess what. You are still here. You survived that, and you will survive this. And whether you choose to see it right now or not, I am willing to bet you are much stronger because of that experience than you were before it.

Sometimes, when we are so afraid of our current situation, we forget where we came from.

We forget what we have been through and who we really are. Use this time to gain perspective. Use this time to remember who you really are. In this whole world of over 7 billion people, there is only one you. That ‘you’ has been through many tough challenges and survived. You have probably survived lack and scarcity at epic levels in the past. What did you draw from in the past?

This is a great opportunity to do so again and come out even stronger. And when you do, you gain. Something inside of you is there that was never there before. You can use this time to really learn about the market. Learn about investing. Learn a new skill you never had before. What can you gain from this moment in time? Learn how to get new clients in a way you have never considered before which might take your business to the next level in the future.

Are you using this time to gain new skills? Are you using this time to learn something new? Here is a test for you:

In the past 72 hours, how much time have you used to learn versus consume. How much time are you spending reading the bad news, talking to others, engaging in negative talking and thinking, versus learning something new?

Are you afraid of losing loved ones? You don’t know that is going to happen. Why not gain by really spending quality time with them again. Learn to see them the way you might have in the past. Learn to appreciate the people who care for you, because the truth is, there are not that many that really do. Appreciate the time you have with them now. Gain a new level of emotional bond with those you love.

In the next article we will discuss the other two things we unconsciously fear.