Stuck in Fear
We’ve all been stuck! Stopped! Jammed up! at some stage. Fear rears it’s sweet little head, and you’re suddenly stopped. It happens to me more often than I like to admit. Without even realizing it, I’ve started listening to the stories in my head about what might happen, what ‘they‘ might think, how ‘it‘ won’t work, and why I’m not the one to do ‘it‘.
Usually it’s when I’m at my most productive. I’m on a roll, I have lots of momentum, have been creating like crazy, putting myself out there, and suddenly BAM! I’m stopped and can’t seem to get myself going again. Fear has me in it’s grip. It doesn’t seem to make sense at the time. I just did all that, and stretched myself in all those ways, and suddenly I’m believing the stories about how I can’t do it.
Stretching Your Bungee Cord
I have learned that what happen is I’ve stretched my own personal bungee cord, taking myself out of my comfort zone just a little too far, and as Newton’s laws of motion tell us ‘For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction’. Yup! You guessed it!s I’ve bounced back ‘too’ far.
It’s a classic scenario, and I’m a humbled to say that I’m still surprised every time. The part of me that gets me out there, thinks it’s the perfect place to be. Strutting my stuff, telling my truth, kickin’ ass and takin’ names. But there are other parts of me. Parts that believe that it’s not OK to be so far out in the light, and we’d better get back in the shadows right now, before something bad happens. Those parts in fear aren’t specific about what ‘bad’ might look like, but they are entirely sure that it won’t be a good thing.
But How Exactly
So how do you (and when I say you I mean me) get over this ‘fear’ attack? How do you get myself moving again? Stepping back into the light. What I’ve found is that the antidote to the stories that my scared parts tell me is to do something small and seemingly insignificant. Take some small micro-step towards the longed for outcome. Notice the fear and keep going.
Since journaling is something that I find helpful, but very difficult in that place, that might look like getting my journal out and my favorite pen and putting it on top of my desk. Exercise is something I really enjoy, but the scared parts of me tell me not to do it, so sometimes to shake myself up I’ll dance to my favorite song. You could write an email to a precious friend, go and wash your car while listening to a podcast, have a shower and really feel the water running over your skin. The important part is to re-engage with reality.
Stories are Not Reality
Those stories that come from fear are not reality! They’re stories, designed to keep you safe, and in doing so, they keep you small. Engaging with reality, and taking some small action is the antidote to those stories. If you want something different in your life, you’re going to have to do something different. Try this next time you’re feeling jammed-up.
Next time you notice fear holding you back, try micro-steps. The tiniest things can make a huge difference. And when you’re back on track, and want to get even more done, check out my series on Productivity Posts.