If you don’t make it your business to overcome fear, you better believe it’ll try to overcome you. Most people are subservient to this emotion though they may not know it. I define fear as the emotional response to danger, perceived or real. What underscores fear in all its permutations is the feeling that you won’t be all right.
Emotional Action Step from "Emotional Freedom". Harness Your Biology to Quiet Fear.
To short-circuit fear and turn off your flight-or-flight response, you’ll need to train your brain to send chemicals to counteract them. Otherwise, fear and its hormones will make you crazed. In contrast, with a calm biology it’s easier to find courage by practicing the combined techniques below to quiet your system.
To achieve immediate and longer term results:
- Eliminate caffeine, sugar, and other stimulants–these fuel the fight-or-flight response.
- Avoid people who reinforce your fear–they are biological irritants; stick close to emotional nurturers.
- Stay away from violent newscasts, traffic jams, arguments, or other stress inducers.
When you’re in the grip of a fear-driven adrenaline rush, try these quick solutions.
- Use this Progressive Relaxation Technique: In a comfortable position, sitting or lying down, take a few deep breaths while letting your body go as limp as possible. When you’re ready, begin by tightening the muscles in your toes…hold to a count of ten… then relax. Enjoy the relief of tension melting. Do the same with flexing your foot muscles, and move slowly through your entire body: calves, legs, stomach, back, neck, jaw, face, contracting and releasing each area.
- Immerse yourself in hot water to relax muscular tension as soon as possible.
These practical changes, which allow you to take control of your body, can be tremendously effective in restoring calm. You don’t have to be passive while battered by fear. The victim mentality takes many forms. It requires courage to assume control, to say, “I’m going to be responsible for my biological self-care.” Educating your body how to respond makes you emotionally freer.
Based on Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life by Judith Orloff MD
Judith Orloff MD, a psychiatrist and intuition expert, is author of the new book Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life (Harmony Books, 2009) Her other bestsellers are Positive Energy, Intuitive Healing, and Second Sight. Dr. Orloff synthesizes the pearls of traditional medicine with cutting edge knowledge of intuition, energy, and spirituality. She passionately believes that the future of medicine involves integrating all this wisdom to achieve emotional freedom and total wellness. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and has been featured on The Today Show, CBS Early Show, CNN, and in Oprah Magazine and USA Today
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Dr. Judith Orloff shouldn't trusting God/Source/Higher Awareness be number one priority seeing that is what directing you in life in the first place(Not as a religious stand point because religions are conforming in my opinion and Spirit needs elbow room and does not believe in ego anyway)….End of Statement.
Peace Dr.JO(+)
Dom DO-ZEN with ZAZEN on the HORIZEN in my ZENDOM
In the Lethal Text is says Fear is the Anti-Christ
http://i—-i.org/infinite_play_lethal_text_serie…
?Join in the Infinite Play http://infiniteplaythemovie.com look here for http://clues.me . if you like Esoteric stuff look here http://esoteric.me it's all part of the Infinite Game.?
Thank you for your powerful advice!
Blessings
Catherine
Thank you, Judith. I've just decided to take a long break from my relationship with my mother because she keeps bringing me back to fear. I tried. For many many years. I will take your advice. Controlling, no conquering fear is very important to me. Fear and aggression are the most destructive emotions there are.
Best Wishes
Sara
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Love-Anarchy forever!
Dr. Judith,
I have seen first hand that fear can be very debilitating. I have started "Living the Law of Attraction" and found it really works, but you have to keep fear at bay. Thanks for your advice…
Great post, Dr. Judith! I think the Progressive Muscle Relaxation technique or any form of meditation is a key element of spiritual approaches to overcoming fear:
http://www.examiner.com/x-7312-Miami-Interfaith-S…
Thanks for this great post!
Peace and love,
Dr. Deb
There's an ad on TV about a woman who fears or worries about shopping trolleys. The ad is neither offensive nor attractive, so I can't recall what the "product" is, but the finale is the woman sitting on the roof of a car. She says: "Now I have more time to worry about other things. Like Ninjas!"
This is where I find two decades of receiving this kind of advice take me. While I envy people without fear or worry or anxiety, I distrust their advice profoundly because the weltanschaung they portray is too much of the boy-in-the-bubble. A life cocooned, away from hurt, from feeling, from fear. Judith's three laws make me very afraid because they're premised on negatives – Don't this, eliminate that, avoid the rest.
I'd find them more attractive, more do-able, more acceptable if they made the whole of life less of a place to FEAR, avoid, eliminate and taught more realistic, deal with strategies.
I think this is good information.
keep the peace,
Tom