What if we could make friends with and release our fears?
Fear is not something we ever eliminate completely from our lives.
We simply learn to expect it.
It's normal.
Accept it.
We can't change it.
We can learn how to push through those fears.
To stop allowing them to hold us back.
Now to push through fears,
We must first realize a few key things.
Most fear is not real.
At least not in this moment,
In the present moment.
It has no power over us unless we choose for it to.
And it is possible to work with it in our minds to reduce it dramatically.
This guided visualization will provide a tool for you to do this with any fear that you have.
So I want to invite you to get into a comfortable position.
Preferably sitting upright.
Your spine straight.
Take a deep breath in.
And release.
And a deep breath in.
And release.
A deep breath in.
And release.
Now I want you to imagine a fear that you have.
Just one.
Pick any fear.
I want you to think of that fear.
Give it a name even.
Feel the fear in your body.
Now I want you to picture a beautiful home nestled in a beautiful meadow near the woods.
See that home clearly in your mind.
Breathe in and smell the pines.
The clean cool air.
Now see yourself sitting in a chair.
Sitting right outside the front door.
And you're frustrated.
You're locked out of the house.
You try each door and they're all locked.
You go to each window and they're all locked.
Taped to the front door though,
You see a note.
You rip the note off the door and you open it.
And the words on the paper tell you,
In sloppy writing,
That once again the big hairy monster who lives nearby in the forest has the key to your home.
The only key.
This is not the first time the monster has taken your key.
You are so tired of this.
Overwhelmed by this.
You peer into the window and see all of the things that you love inside the home,
Including your family and loved ones.
You bang on the door,
Every door.
You rattle the windows.
Yet they don't hear you.
They don't see you.
They're unaware of you outside trying to get in.
They're laughing,
Smiling,
Eating fabulous food and enjoying your beautiful home and surroundings.
You look at the note and realize you have one choice if you're ever to get inside your home.
To be with those who you love.
To live that life that you desire.
You must confront the monster and get your key.
You close your eyes and you call on your guardian angel.
Please help me,
You ask.
Please help me get my key.
And your guardian angel asks,
Well how can I help you?
I need the monster to go away.
To leave my key and leave me alone.
I cannot make the monster go away,
Says the guardian angel,
But I can show you how to do it.
Yes,
Please,
You exclaim.
I'll do whatever it takes.
Well,
You must go and confront the monster.
You must demand your key back,
Says your guardian angel.
I can't possibly do this.
What if he hurts me,
Kills me even?
Your guardian angel asks,
Are you not hurt now?
Are you not missing out?
Do you want to continue living this way?
Going through this?
You feel the fear well up inside of you and yet you know this must be done.
Things will go better than you think.
You must do this,
Your guardian angel says and then is gone.
You turn,
Face the path toward the monster.
You feel scared,
Yet fed up.
You are tired of living like this,
Always wondering when the monster will show up again and beat you down.
You take a deep breath and start down the path.
You travel deep into the woods.
Fear grips your heart and yet you know you simply cannot keep living this way.
This is crazy,
You think.
What if the monster seriously hurts me,
Kills me even,
You think.
And just then,
The monster jumps out into the path in front of you.
He is huge,
He's hairy,
He's scary looking.
He's at least twice your size in height and width.
He's snarling and growling.
You can see the large teeth in his mouth,
Huge claws hang from his body.
And you see the glimmer of your key in one large hand.
You want to run,
Yet you know this is the moment that defines you and will either kill you or set you free.
All of a sudden,
You begin to smile.
You smile slowly as you stare at the monster.
What do you have to lose?
You stand firm and look deeply into the eyes of the monster and he looks back at you.
And you keep smiling.
His snarl begins to subside,
His growl stops,
He stares deep into your eyes.
And then,
All of a sudden,
He starts getting smaller.
The monster is getting smaller right before your eyes.
He is shrinking.
And you realize that right now,
He is your size.
His eyes no longer look so menacing,
So scary.
You get up your nerve and you slowly walk closer.
You reach out a hand.
You pull the monster in and hug him.
You pull him close and you hug him tightly and you whisper,
Hello,
Welcome.
The key drops from his hand and you reach down and scoop it up.
The monster continues getting smaller,
Smaller and smaller.
He is so tiny he can fit into the palm of your hand.
But you wonder for a moment what might happen if he begins to grow and get big again,
Mean and menacing.
Could he hurt you and your family?
But then another thought comes in.
What if he's really just like you,
Scared,
Lonely even,
Looking for a friend?
What if this monster,
Known as fear,
Is here to befriend you,
To serve you,
To teach you?
You put fear the monster in your pocket and you head back toward your home,
Your happy home filled with your family,
Filled with joy,
Filled with everything you want in your life.
Deep within your pocket,
You hear a small yet powerful kind voice that says,
When you face your fear,
You will realize that it has no power over you.
It is only here to befriend you and teach you lessons.
You feel a deep sense of relief.
You feel confident,
Capable,
Certain,
And you realize that you have this ability with all of your fears.
It's inside of you.
You simply must face each fear head on.
You can conquer anything.
Overcoming fear is not about never having fear.
It's simply about knowing that you have the power within you to overcome it and lessons to learn and growth to experience in each fear.
I invite you to use this simple meditation with each of your fears.
Make a list,
Write them down,
Give them all a name,
And then one by one,
Take them through this process.
And know this,
There is no fear or emotion you can't survive.
You have greatness within you.
Push through those fears and thrive.
Thank you for spending this time with me.
Don't hesitate to reach out and connect.
May peace,
Joy,
And abundance find you today.
And may you also find peace,
Joy,
And abundance.
I'm Jackie Almer.
You can find more of this work at Insight Timer.
Thanks again.
