Magical Moment: Managing Fear
As we all know, there is a lot of fear and uncertainty swirling around in the world right now.
It’s hard not to get swept up in the constant and ever-changing news reports.
I’ve really felt the impact lately, especially with our girl out on her gap year travels.
Yet, I always strive to show up as my best self and inspire others to do the same, and can’t do that if I’m full of fear and anxiety.
So it became apparent that I needed to make some changes in how I was moving through my days.
First of all, news alerts were constantly arriving in my inbox and every one was like a jolt of electricity to my nervous system. But guess who’d signed up to receive those alerts? Me. So I made the choice to unsubscribe. Don’t get me wrong, I’m staying informed, but now it’s on my terms. I choose to read the news when I’m ready. And that means I’m in a strong and centered frame of mind.
I’ve also chosen to stop watching television news. Watching meant I didn’t know what was going to come at me, and once again, leave me full of fear. Just another form of media where control was out of my hands.
In this newly aware state, I also noticed that long ago I’d set the New York Times as my browser homepage. They do an amazing job getting to the essence of a story, but every time I opened my computer, whether I chose to or not, I’d get glimpses of people in masks and hazmat suits and my hands would shake and my heart would race. Now I have my favorite home decorating website as my homepage setting, and I can switch over to news sites when I choose to do so.
I also remembered to breathe. To take those deep full breaths throughout the day that get me out of my head and back in my body. Plus, I take the time every morning to fill out my Magical Living Daily Planner which includes time to move my body, sit in stillness and drink lots of water.
Finally, I remind myself that we live in an uncertain world, and yet really, we always have. There just wasn’t a constant stream of noise reminding us of this from one moment to the next. Yet, we need to remember that we have choice. We get to choose how and when we expose ourselves to information.
Staying present when fear and uncertainty arrives is an ongoing practice, but by allowing ourselves to feel our fear, acknowledge it and move it through us, we can open ourselves back up to the healthy and welcome feelings of trust, gratitude and joy.
What about you? Are there any changes you’d like to make? Tips, tools or tricks you have to share? Please reply here or over on the Facebook Page