We talk about fear a lot in society.

We say things like, “Feel the fear but do it any way.” We tell people it’s okay to feel fear. We tell people fear needs to be conquered. We tell people to have courage to resist & master fear. We tell people that everything they want is on the other side of fear. We tell people that fear kills dreams. I even found a website that stated: “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.”

We believe fear is crippling. Paralyzing. Controlling. Manipulating. Consuming.

But is it?

The thing is, fear is not a tangible thing that exists outside of our bodies. We can’t touch it. We can’t see it. It’s simply an emotion, a vibration we feel in our bodies created by the thoughts we think.

Fear comes from the way we think about the unknown–the possible outcomes of an event. Fear comes when we dwell on the outcomes we don’t want. We we see more of the downsides than we see of the possibilities.

I’ve experienced fear many times in my life–from learning new things like driving a car, to giving birth, to starting a business, to having a conversation with someone, to living life on the road, and so many more countless times.

But I’ve never felt fear the way I am feeling fear now.

I recently had a session with a life coach where I was working through my anxiety around a particular circumstance in my life. The coach asked me, “What do you think fear is trying to tell you? Our emotions are always telling us something.” I didn’t have an answer for her then because I couldn’t get out of my own head, and I thought that was the craziest thing to ever ask me.

But since then I have spent some time exploring this idea of fear.

For me, right now, I think the fear is unmanageable. When I think this way about fear, I feel powerless. And when I feel powerless by thinking the fear is unmanageable, I become paralyzed. I don’t take action. I get stuck in my head. I push opportunities away. I numb out on social media. I feel physical effects of the fear. I am so wrapped up in all the ways my circumstance could go wrong, that I can’t enjoy the present moment. I essentially allow fear to consume me by thinking the fear is unmanageable.

But fear is just an emotion.

What if I could see fear differently? Would I then experience fear differently? What if fear is no different of an emotion like “happy” or “fortunate”?

What if fear is just here to teach me things about myself? Could fear be gentle, then? Could fear be benevolent? Could fear be a gift? Could fear be embraced?

And when I asked myself these questions, I realized that fear could be here to highlight a thought error(s) with my relationship with myself and with God.

Fear could be here to show me how I am thinking disempowering thoughts, which I can work to change.

Fear could be here to show my how I’m clinging to old patterns of thinking.

Fear could be here to show me what parts of me need to be developed and strengthened & which parts of me need to be released in preparation for the upleveling I’ve asked for.

Fear could be here to show me how I want to redefine myself.

Fear could be here to show me what I do love about my life and how I want to live my life.

Fear could also be here to show me what I can/can’t control.

So today, I want to offer you the opportunity to reframe your fear (or any emotion you are struggling with). What if fear is just an indicator light of where your thoughts are going? What if fear isn’t malicious or invasive or heavy in any way, and it’s just our thoughts about fear that are creating the unwanted results we have in our lives?

What if you could take a moment to see fear differently? To invite it in? To listen to its message?

How would fear change for you? How would you then be able to change your life?

If you’d like help reframing fear (or any emotion you are struggling with), I offer one time sessions–no long term commitment. Just click HERE to send me an email with the subject: ONE TIME SESSION and I will send you more details.

Our very best lives are always just one thought away.