Living in Fear vs. Living in Awareness

Scary things happen, but it’s how we deal with it that matters. Living in fear does not keep us safe. We may think that fear keeps us alert to danger, and to some extent it does, but it limits us more than it helps. Fear drains our energy and causes us to pull back from living life to the fullest. When we let fear take over, we shut down and effectively let it control our lives.

“Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil.”

Aristotle

Safety lies in our awareness; it keeps us in the present moment and better able to respond to dangerous situations, whereas fear paralyzes us and keeps us focused on a potential future or stuck in the past.

Of course, it is of the utmost importance to pay attention to any distressing, uneasy and fearful feelings. Our instincts and intuition are there for a reason, so we need to make sure we acknowledge the messages those feelings are relating to us, and act accordingly.

“Fear has two meanings: ‘Forget Everything And Run’ or ‘Face Everything And Rise.’ The choice is yours.”

Zig Ziglar

As we go about our daily lives and take practical measures to protect ourselves from danger, we recognize that danger may potentially be literally anywhere. However, if we remain aware of our surroundings and don’t allow ourselves to be lulled into a false sense of security, while also understanding that some fear is natural, the key is to not let fear overwhelm us. Then we can begin to live in a state of relaxed awareness rather than one of constant hyper-vigilant fear and anxiety.

“Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson