What do you do when fear shows up? Do you hide under covers of life, shivering as you anxiously wait for moment to pass or do you stand up with a confident smile and embrace it?

Your answer to this simple question will have a considerable impact on level of freedom, excitement and empowerment you experience on a daily basis. Whatever your response, thing to remember is that your fears are nothing to be afraid of!

What is Fear?

The Oxford dictionary defines fear as “an unpleasant emotion caused by expectation of pain”. The thing to note here is that emotion of fear is caused by ‘expectation’ of pain rather than actual ‘experience’ of pain. There is no requirement that our fears be based on any form of rational or objective thought. In fact, it’s entirely possible that fears that exist in our lives are based purely on anticipated scenarios that may never actually transpire. The problem is however, that we live and act as if these scenarios are constantly replaying in our lives.

False Evidence that Appears Real.

One of my favourite definitions of fear is “False Evidence that Appears Real”. In today’s modern society we are conditioned to be fearful of just about everything. We fear failure, yet also fear success. We fear being lonely, yet fear being truly loved. We fear restrictions on our freedom to speak, yet we fear speaking out.

You are not Alone.

I think one of big things to consider about fear is that you are not alone. We all experience fear. It’s a very natural part of being human. It’s not fear itself that’s problem, it’s what we actually do with fear when it enters our lives. Channelled effectively, fear can be a great catalyst for change and a tool for reclaiming your personal power. At other extreme, avoiding fear will paralyse your life force.

Physical Symptoms of Fear.

Stress Management by Cynthia Perkins, M.Ed.

Stress is an inevitable part of life. Managing stress effectively is important for every person, but for person dealing with chronic illness it is essential for optimal functioning.

There is good stress and bad stress. Even good stress can be difficult to deal with when one’s resources are limited due to chronic illness. Stress is an inherent component of chronic illness, arising from inevitable challenges, loss and limits it creates, therefore adding more than average level of stress to one’s life.

It is impossible to eliminate stress completely, nor would you want to, a certain amount of stress is healthy. The key is to find ways to minimize its negative impact on your life, cope effectively and reduce excess.

Too much stress or stress that is not handled effectively can affect immune system, therefore symptoms may become exacerbated or new symptoms may arise, keeping immune system overwhelmed. It may also make you irritable and interfere in your quality of life.

Try to incorporate some of these stress busters into your life.