How to Let Go of Your Fears

Our natural instinct is to want to create a life that doesn't trigger any of our

fears. Because of this, many of us live bland, predictable lives where we continue to avoid any change that might bring about these feelings.

The more afraid you are, the greater you tend to dislike change of any kind. But change is necessary in order for us to release our fears. Change is immensely useful as it provides the space for our fears to surface. For that reason, it is extremely important that we welcome it into our lives.

Would you like to know how to do this?

The first step is to stop closing yourself off. This means that it is important for you to stop protecting yourself from what you fear, allowing it to surface instead so that you can become aware of it. For example, you might fear experiencing moments of awkwardness, pain, shame, guilt, horror, angst, but whatever the issue is, a fear is basically a sensitive part within you that you don't want to expose -- and yet exposure is what hardens you and liberates you.

Yes, at first it can be shocking, even terrifying to feel our fear arise because we are directing all of our conscious attention towards it. At first allowing your fears to arise might give rise to a notably altered state of consciousness where life doesn't look beautiful anymore, the world is hazy, people are blurry and there is an underlying sensation of panic.

But by allowing this heavy energy within us to come out, we are also creating the freedom to let it go. Fear is a powerful thing. But by developing the courage and intent to face our fears, we now have the power to choose what to do with them.

Letting Go of Fear

A person who has fears and makes the choice of avoiding them is someone who lives life constantly resisting.

When we constantly resist and fight against life, our pasts become constant replays and recollections of disturbing moments, our presents are filled with dread and the tension of always being on-guard, and our thoughts of the future are filled with anxiety.

In truth, the more we avoid our fears, the more they grow in magnitude so that eventually they become so large that we feel hopeless to ever be "free" of them.

Perhaps you have tried reasoning yourself out of fear -- but this, as you have most likely found, is almost always futile. Perhaps you might have adopted a variety of avoidance tactics that keep the fear just at bay -- but this is only another short-term solution. Eventually after going over and under your fears with no avail, you soon discover that the only way to truly overcome them is to walk right into them.

The secret to letting go of any fear is doing the opposite of what you instinctively desire to do. Instead of running away from the tornado, you must stop, see the tornado coming towards you, and simply stand there. Yes, you might be sucked up by the tornado and tossed around a bit, but eventually you will make it to the eye of the tornado, and stand freely in the core of your being.

This core of your being is also known as your "center," "awareness" or "conscious space." This is a place of limitless silence and peace. So the moment you feel any fear -- let go -- let yourself experience the tornado without running, repressing, hiding or smothering. By choosing to let go, by choosing "non-resistance" you still continue to experience the fear, but you will watch it from a distance. It is happening, but it is not "you."

The important thing here is to refrain from any form of resistance -- even the judgment of how well you're doing at letting go can become a form of resistance. Thoughts like, "I shouldn't be feeling fear anymore" are still forms of resistance. Don’t fight with it, don’t try to change it, and don’t judge it. You might feel the suction of the tornado pulling at you, but continue treating it with the same willingness to let go:

Take a depth breath, release, relax, exhale and observe what is happening inside of you.

http://lonerwolf.com/letting-go-fear/