Nurse Audrey's Stress Relief

Your Stress Relief Minute

Stress Relief – Overcome Your Fears

In this posting I will give you a few strategies to consider on how to overcome your fears. As mentioned in the last newsletter, we are born with only two fears—that of falling and that of loud noises. Unfortunately, we tend to develop other forms of fear as we grow and experience life. However, we should make note that fear is part of the fabric of life. It is a basic survival instinct, and as long as it remains rational, it is a good thing. In this newsletter we will look at different options that are available to us which can help us minimize or even overcome irrational fears.

It is not a situation or an object we face that causes us to fear; rather, it is how we view them and what repeated thoughts we allow over time that will magnify them. There are proven ways to rectify this and I want to share a few with you. By following and practicing these suggestions, I believe you will find it possible to get a grip on yourself and overcome any irrational fears.

First, you need to make a conscious effort to mentally separate yourself from the thought of the fear.

When you are ready, relax, breathe deeply and try some of these suggestions:

Actively visualize the fear. Then slowly push it off into the distance while dimming the light of it in your mind. This will separate you mentally from the fear. Also, you can mentally visualize the fear with a picture frame around it, thus separating yourself even further from it. This exercise will give you a barrier from the fear.
Another effective method is to either imagine or actually hold a picture of what you fear in the circle of your thumb and index finger of your right hand at arm’s length. While looking intensely at the image or at your hand, think of the happiest moment in your life. Continue to do this on a consistent basis until the thought of the fear lessens its grip on you.
A similar exercise is what I call the “Theatre Scenario” which is available in depth on my CD Surviving & Thriving on Stress. In this exercise, you see yourself on a theatre screen interacting with the fear. Then you slowly move back in the theatre, giving more distance between you and the fear. As mentioned, it is our distortional thinking that greatly magnifies fears, blowing them out of proportion.
Another method is to actually face the fear which will erase all of the negative thoughts that have been imprinted in your mind. Do the thing that you fear. Do it repeatedly and watch the power of that fear begin to dwindle and become less and less of a threat to you.

Please take a moment to read my Blog where I give an overview of my top fear—that of spiders. I have made significant progress in overcoming it and now want to share with you how I did it.

Last week there was a Bug Show at our local museum. I told myself that this was the perfect time for me to face the fear of those eight-legged creatures. I paid my $10 fee and went up the escalator straight to the spider table. There they were—all shapes and sizes, from tiny to huge. One in particular, almost the size of the palm of my hand, had a hairy body. Since it was my decision to come here, I went forward with an uneasy boldness. First, I had the small, long-legged one crawl on my hand. I don’t know if I was brave because I was surrounded by many curious children with fearful eyes, or because I was just plain determined to do it! Then, uncharacteristically of me, I asked to see the tarantula, the large hairy one. I let the instructor put it on my hand, and watched it crawl, then guided it onto my other hand. Ladies and Gentlemen, I had done the unthinkable; I made friends with an enemy that represented my greatest fear! I actually did what I was always afraid to do—touch and co-exist with these interesting creatures.

I invite you to contact me and share some of your fears and how you are dealing with them, and even how you may have successfully dealt with them...

On the lighter side:

On a recent airlines flight, three engines went out. Wearing a parachute, the pilot appeared in front of the passengers and announced, “We’ve got a lot of problems, but don’t worry – I’m going for help!”

I just flew in on a no-frills airline. Before we took off, the stewardess told us to fasten our Velcro!

You have to be in trouble when you approach the airport and read the sign “Terminal.”

How often do those big jets crash? “Once, I imagine!”

It was a small airline. You couldn’t get on the plane unless you had the exact change.

The tower called to the pilot of one flight and asked, “What is your height and position?” The pilot answered, “I’m six-one and I’m in the cockpit!”

Till next time… “Nurse Audrey” signing off!

Questions/Comments: audrey@possibilitiesnetwork.com
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