Aug 26, 2019
A Powerful Practice to Overcome Fear
Three steps to change fear to excitement
The raging water churned below the bridge. I stared at the first rapid on the river, and my head shook back and forth of its own accord, as if my body was stating, ‘no’ this is a bad idea.
Everyone in my group was putting on their white water gear, readying for the day ahead. They’d been down this stretch of water many times, and had overcome their fear years before. They knew the lines to take through each rapid, trusted their skills, and were happy to be spending another day on the water.
This was my first time, and I didn’t know what lie ahead. I could only see the first rapid, and it looked bigger than I could see my talent being.
My heart thrummed in my chest, my breathing shallow, and every part of my brain told me to turn around. Once I put my boat in the water and ran that first rapid, there was no getting out. I would have to paddle the entire stretch of water that included two class IV rapids.
I spoke with the trip leaders, asking for a vote of confidence. None came. “Only, you can make this choice. What do you want?” They asked.
I closed my eyes, and turned to the mental skills I’d learned over the last eleven years from going after 120 of my biggest dreams.
One deep breath, two. My heart went faster instead of slower, the anxiety heightening. I’ve been here before, I thought. Every figure skating competition, each time I waited to perform a dance routine in front of a large crowd or when I stared at a blank page ready to start a new day of writing.
This feeling, the adrenaline, my mind’s stories of all the failure that would come if I continued to go forward, the fear was always present in each new venture, but I knew what was waiting on the other side.
Whenever I followed through and didn’t allow fear to stop me, I was rewarded with the high, the beauty of happiness and the wow factor of feeling as if that moment was the greatest of my life.
I looked back at the rapid, and told my fear to have it’s say. “Go ahead, give me your worst story of what is going to happen. Tell me all the horror. You have three minutes to speak.”
And it did. The stories it told of me swimming every rapid, of my body being bruised and broken when I emerged from the river, the old vision of when I cracked my helmet open, and the final thought of drowning. It was all yelling why I should remain safe, and turn back.
At the end of three minutes, it became quiet. It had run out of stories.
Then I looked at the facts. I’d trained all summer, becoming a better paddler. I was bored on the runs I’d been taking, and ready for more. I’d chosen to do this because I was ready.
Though my heart was still pumping too fast, my anxiety high, the emotions and story behind the feeling began to change. The fear turned to excitement.
The difference between the physical reactions to fear and excitement are closely related, and that subtle shift allowed me to get dressed, walk down the stairs to the river, and get in my boat.
Every new thing we encounter in life causes some form of fear as we walk into the unknown. Our brains are wired to keep us safe.
This one exercise, of allowing the brain a few minutes to fully have its story while taking deep breaths, and then changing the story to the exhilaration that comes when a new activity or challenge has been accomplished, creates a subtle shift from fear to excitement.
Once excitement is reached, now that same energy created by a faster heart beat and adrenaline gives the extra edge to be better at whatever exciting challenge lies ahead.
It’s when the fear is fought, listened to as if it was the most powerful voice, that dreams are stopped, excuses are made, and challenges that force growth and happiness are relegated to “someday”.
That day, I ran the river, learning from highly skilled kayakers, and by the time I finished the Class IV rapids, a newfound confidence in my skills and my mindset had emerged.
Did any of the fear stories come true? Yes, I swam a rapid. I wasn’t hurt. I was never in danger, and better yet, when I was flipped over in the Class IV’s I utilized my skills to roll right back up.
If you find fear holding you back, use this exercise.
Step 1: Allow your fear to speak to you. Give it the space to tell its story, but put a timer on it.
Step 2: Look at the facts. New activities, challenges, bring skills and confidence building. There’s a reason you want to take on whatever is making you afraid — the chance for a beautiful reward at the end.
Step 3: Feel the exhilaration of all the times you’ve walked past your fear and achieved some level of success. See this time the same way and allow the feelings and bodily reactions to change to a feeling of excitement.
