Face Your Fear

Swallow a Little Fear

Ever heard the phrase “I threw up in my mouth a little bit!” It is often said in reference to the speaker having heard or faced a particularly upsetting piece of news or an unpleasant situation. If it is so upsetting that it stimulates vomiting, even a little, it must be bad! Really bad! Life threatening! Or morally reprehensible and unthinkable. Like drowning puppies, or ending a promising relationship, or pubic speaking!

That phrase, with small-kind regurgitation, might just be the key to overcoming your fears.

What do you do after you experiencing “throwing up just a little”?

You either spit and rid yourself of the disgusting taste or swallow it! Both solutions may seem gross, but both have the same affect. They remove the signal of repulsion (or fear) from your consciousness.

What is the thing that you fear the most? Dig deep. Consider that it may be hidden behind layers of adult or childhood trauma. Insecurities may throw up a wall between you and any level of vulnerability. We all labor under the illusion that things we can’t-or won’t- admit, somehow, don’t exist. But they do exist, and they often block us from being our best selves, block us from using our real talents in a real way, from seeing our problems for what they are, and then facing them.

By facing what you really fear, what you are really avoiding, and then heading directly into it, face on, you can set yourself free. No one is saying that process will not be painful, just like throwing up a little in your mouth can be disgusting. Once done, and resolved, it is manageable, dealt with.

Just as an example of how that vulnerability can set you free, I will expose my own worst fear. I have an overwhelming fear of being homeless. For some reason, I have had it my whole life. It could be from threats made by my parents to ‘cut me off’ if I didn’t follow the parental-party-line.

I have faced near homelessness in my lifetime many times. I have managed to weather a divorce that left me working three jobs to pay the electric bill and the rent. I have signed over my worldly goods to travel through a foreign country with little or nothing for a year and survived it to write a book about the experience. I have moved to an isolated location to avoid traffic and pollution and then found the strength to start over.

In short, I have swallowed my fear. You can too.

The first step is to find out what you really fear. Is it holding you captive and keeping you from realizing other dreams, from living fully? Can you realize your potential as a human being?

Once you have identified your fear, make a plan. Your plan will probably take the form of “taking a chance.” Face your fear in a way that seems appropriate for you. It will be different for every person and every fear.

Work your plan.

Don’t try to do it all in one day, but little by little, swallow your fear. Face the fear.

The third step in this process is recognizing what you have accomplished in the process of facing your fear. In the moment it will be painful, even disgusting, but the end result will be liberating.

Celebrate. Live. Be your best self. Try new things that have scared you before. Your doors are opening, walk through them.

The object of A Place for the Eye to Rest is not to solve problems. It is to provoke thought among the readers. Ideas are presented, then considered by the reader as they apply to each individual. There are many articles on the main blog page and each one is thought provoking, and potentially relates to some reader in a personal way. Use these articles as a jumping off place for personal reflection, or extended investigation through other sources.