Facing Fears
Anxiety and fear used to fill every cell of my body whenever I got on a plane. I always worried about my son should anything happen to me, even though he’s independent and thriving. He lost his father at the age of two and I just worried about him if he were alone without me there.
There’s really only one solution when you’re afraid: You have to find some way to face your fear.
So that’s what I did:
1. Every time I boarded a plane I would visualize landing safely and unpacking my things at my destination. Then I’d imagine walking around seeing, hearing and experiencing everything around me. I call this the “end game” in my life-coaching workshops.
2. Whenever there was turbulence and the plane was bouncing around, I imagined it dancing among the clouds happily and fearlessly. This method is called “reframing”.
3. I said prayers from my childhood: “Our Father’s” and “Hail Mary’s”.
4. If I was still worried I’d bury myself in a book… Deep distraction.
5. Lastly, if I was still nervous, I would focus on my breathing. I would breathe in faith and exhale fear while using a method called “tapping” or “EFT”. You can find out more about it on my YouTube channel.
These tools have worked wonderfully for me but I would love to hear what you do when you feel afraid. Please share and help others by commenting below.
As I finish writing this, my plane has just touched down safely at home, affirming all is well. Look for me on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.