How do we move from Fear to Hope
Does any sentence below resonate with you?
- The world is going crazy
- I am losing hope
- We are moving backwards
- I want to change my life, but it seems impossible
- I feel so stuck
- I have no choice
These are common statements that I hear from clients who seek my help and people I talk to about the human conditions, stress and life's challenges. There is truth in every statement. Whatever we see from our lenses and our perception becomes our truth. This is why we need to be aware of what we tell ourselves all day, what we think and what our behaviors are. We perceive the world in a way that resonates with our stories. So when do we need to challenge our own stories?We need to challenge our own thoughts, beliefs and behaviors when the outcomes and results in any area of our life is not meeting our needs our satisfaction. In other words, we are not happy about it.What stops us from challenging our stories and moving into a different direction is fear. Most people admit that they will not change jobs, not work with a coach or trainer, not to approach their boss to ask a raise because of fear.Fear of what though? That is the question we always need to ask ourselves when we stop before taking an action that we know can change our lives. Most answers lie under fear of failure, fear of judgment and/or not being good enough.Telling you to just move out of fear into action might be too much, too stressful. By doing some research on fear and creating a mind system that works for me and my clients, I have found this:
The first action we must take to move out of fear state is to focus on hope.
Based on the work and research of Srinivasan Pillay, MD, I confirmed that my system of focusing on potential and possibilities really work during times of fear and stress. Fear is what is really underneath stress for the most part. Without getting deep into the psychology of fear and brain function, I found on his research that the emotions of Fear and Hope "hang out" in the same areas in the brain. That means they compete for energy and resources. Every thought occur by an electrical current in our brain, and when we feed fear with our thoughts, that is what will take over that area of your brain, specifically your amygdala. An overstimulated amygdala will affect your executive function area, the pre frontal cortex. And that is not good. No great decisions will be made from that fearful state, unless you are really trying to fight or run for your life.The most amazing thing to me is how much power we have to manipulate this electricity in our brain, by simply choosing different thoughts and shifting our attention. Simple, but not easy. Not easy because will require questioning our own beliefs and doing daily mental exercises, what I call mental workouts. In my coaching practice and classes I teach step by step how to do this work.I want to leave you with one strategy that will help you to start creating more energy and electrical current in your brain on Hope versus fear.Un-Focus. When you go into fear and you feel you are going into a deep spiral of overwhelm, anxiety and/or paralysis, walk away from it and choose an activity that requires your full attention. Examples are playing music, help someone in need, exercise, 5 minutes of gratitude, playing with your dog or kids, etc. Anything that will put you in state of becoming fully present will decrease the charge of the fear and charge your positive mind and hope.
Fear will never disappear, we just learn how to keep its voice quiet.
In my video I share 4 mindsets that can help you to go from fear to hope. Peace and love, Alex.