How to face fear; The ONLY time it’s okay to lie, cheat and steal!
Okay, okay, hear me out. I assure you that this article is legit and it will teach you how to face fear and overcome it by practicing legit techniques!
I’m sure you’re saying to yourself, “This bitch is saying it’s okay to lie, cheat and steal? What kind of blog am I reading here?!”
Yes, I’m saying there is one instance it is indeed okay to lie, cheat, and steal! I’m not referring to lying, cheating, or stealing in a relationship of any sort. This article is not telling you to go to the nearest store and steal anything, either, because I am not condoning any of this irresponsible behavior. I’m talking about lying, cheating, and stealing from your mind for your benefit!
I learned this technique from Marisa Peer, a British therapist, motivational speaker, best-selling author, and the creator of Rapid Transformational Therapy, otherwise known as “RTT.” One of her many brilliant tips is to lie to your brain, cheat fear, and steal back the happiness and confidence we were born with!
1.) The only time it is okay to lie: In order to face fear and overcome it, lie to your brain; trick it into thinking you are enjoying something you despise.
Did you know that the feeling of fear is the same as feeling excited? That’s right! The same feeling you get when you are having a moment of pure bliss has the same chemical makeup in your brain as experiencing a moment of terror. This is why it is possible to trick your brain into believing you are actually excited rather than afraid! Even if you don’t believe what you’re saying to your brain, it will not know the difference. Sounds weird, right? I think it’s pretty incredible how our brains operate.
I’m sure at some point in your life you’ve had to do something you didn’t want to do. You may have had to do something you were terrified of doing. For example, let’s say that you had to give a speech in front of a large group of people. Public speaking is one of your biggest fears. The thought of getting tongue-tied, while hundreds of eyes are on you observing your every move seems like a death sentence. Instead of telling yourself that you’re dreading this, try saying something like, “This is so exciting! I love this!” or “I’m so excited to get this over with!”
It may sound asinine to some, but I have personally tried this technique while at the dentist, and believe it or not, while he was shoving that gigantic needle into my gums to numb the area he was about to work on, it actually helped to distract myself by saying, “I’m so excited to get this over with! I’ve got this!” instead of succumbing to my fears. Try it next time you’re in a situation that you’re not so fond of!
Note: no, I am not saying that this works for ALL fearsome situations. Although this technique works for some people, it may not work for everyone!
2.) The second way to face fear is simply by cheating fear itself.
Another way to face fear is by simply cheating it. Do this by thinking of something exciting you can do to relax after completing whatever daunting task. Like, if you have a dinner date with your best friend after your speech, just think about how amazing it’s going to feel knowing you successfully completed your address, eating your favorite food with one of your favorite humans. You could say something to yourself like, “I’m so excited to meet up with my BFF after this and eat my favorite food!”
This way, you are picturing yourself relaxing after you’ve overcome fear and completed a daunting task…as in you picture yourself in one piece although it may have felt like you would implode at any moment.
Simple, right?
Believe it or not, your brain doesn’t know the difference between whether you’re scared or excited. So, if you start saying things to yourself, or out loud like, “This is so much fun! I love doing this! I’m so excited to get this over with!” it’ll be much easier to deal with than saying to yourself, “Oh, my God this is terrifying. I hate this. I can’t wait until this is over.”
The way we speak to ourselves is one of the most important things that we need to be mindful of. Our thoughts can literally change the direction of our lives either for better or for worse. The choice is ours! I don’t know about you, but I’d rather practice positive self-talk and be kind to myself, rather than being my own worst enemy and turning my life into a living hell.
3.) The only time it is okay to steal: Stealing back the happiness and remarkable confidence you were born with!
We are all born with immense amounts of happiness and confidence. As Marisa explains, “When we are in the womb, we have room service 24/7, food on tap, we are connected to someone, we feel comfortable and safe. We come into this world as abundant creatures!” It is only over time that most of this abundance is stripped from us because of limiting beliefs as well as how we respond to our environment and the negative situations we experience.
To obtain this amount of abundance again, we need to steal back our happiness, confidence, and bravery! You deserve to be happy! Abundance is a necessity, a way of life that so many are unaware they can have if they simply start changing their thoughts. Once you change your thoughts, you’ll begin to change your actions, which will change your reality, creating a beautiful life.
In conclusion, these three steps will help you face and overcome almost any fear. Keep in mind, it may not work for everyone or for every situation, but it’s worth a shot for some pesky fears! It’s time to take control of your life and stop letting fear run the show.
So, what are you waiting for?! Give these empowering tools to overcome fear a try and feel free to share in the comments how they work or don’t work for you.