How to overcome fear?

Undoubtedly fear is one of the most influencing negative emotion which can make us feel really unhappy and constrained.

Fear is a huge block to achieve freedom. Fear can manifest itself in many forms - fear of rejection, fear of heights, fear of being alone, fear of being in public, fear of being cheated, fear of failure and even fear of being successful! Oh yes, it is indeed surprising to know that some people have so much fear about being successful and bearing additional responsibilities that they themselves block their own success!

Not only these, fear also stops one from loving others or being loved. When you have fear, you lack love, because they are just opposites. Fear is something which restrains and constraints but love's very nature is to expands and fill the entire universe. So, if you have fear, you just cant be happy and loving in your relationships! Fear is like a solid stone block in the water pipeline. How can the love - water flow freely through you if you have that block?

Fear lets you down in public, keeps you away from love, loads you with insecurity and unhappiness. As a famous saying goes : It is not the fear of darkness but the fear of unknown.

Many of us, fear about something about which we know nothing. Lets take an example: Expressing your emotions & feelings: Many people don't do it because they are afraid of being rejected! "What if the other person makes fun of it or rejects it?" Thinking like this, they would have created a huge block within themselves and also a big distance in their relationship which otherwise could have been a very happy one. If you do not try it, how will you know what it feels like? Maybe the other person just accepts and understands you.

Even, in the worst case the other person is not able to understand your feelings, so what? Cant you handle the situation? The problem with fear is, it eliminates the clarity from your mind.  It just puts you on dead lock - you just keep thinking "What if ? What if?". There is no answer to "What ifs". You just have to stop, relax and ask "So what?". Letting go of the fear will give clarity to your mind and then you can act in those "unknown" situations as well with divine guidance. Fear is that solid block in the water pipeline. Unless you release the block, you can't feel the bliss within you; you can't get the guidance.

Actually fear is a natural response for any living being which turns on all the protective or defense mechanism in our body so that we get prepared to fight against the enemy or at least run away. But, unfortunately this same response is triggered when it is not required, i.e., when there is no real threat or enemy around and that is what troubling many people. So, the enemy in these cases is none other than the person's very own mind.

Having said all stories about fear, its time to disclose the solution! What should be done to eliminate this fear: As explained before in a previous post, any emotion is not to overcome - but to release. So, is the fear. It is something to be released and neither to be appreciated nor to be avoided.

Here is a short note of a simple technique that you can try yourself: To release any emotion, first thing to do is to accept and embrace it as it comes. By avoiding or resisting, you will increase pressure within which is not going to help. So, just accept the fear and then consciously choose to let go of it. Bring the problem from your brain to your heart. Do not analyze anything about fear or its cause or the solution! Ask to yourself, if you can let the fear go and feel happy. Ask to yourself, if you are ready to let the fear go and march on in your life. Then just let the fear release - just like you would release your fingers from an object holding in your hand. Then thank the universe for the lesson being learnt through the emotion and feel that you are ready to move on in your life. Repeat this exercise whenever you feel agitated with any kind of emotion - not only fear.

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