Making the Most of Fear

Let’s get one thing straight: I am the anti-daredevil.  I loathe adrenaline-inducing activities.

Signs like this scare me

I prefer slow cars, flat terrain, and sturdy ground.  Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I also am part of a family where speed, heights, and other scary things are thought of as the ultimate in cool.

Recently I was in the mountains and my family decided to go snow-tubing down an ENORMOUS mountain.  I was scared.  Super scared.  My heart was pounding and I started to sweat despite the single-digit temperatures.  Normally I would have stayed back and opted to be the official photographer of the event rather than actually participate.  But this time I decided that I wanted to give my fears a run for their money, if for no other reason that to teach my kids (and it turns out, myself) an important lesson.

Making the Most of Fear

1.  Say it out loud. Instead of suffering in silence, let the good folks around you know how scared you are.  Let them know your fears (what if this snowtube never stops or I go flying off the mountain?) and listen to their responses (you can put your feet down to stop yourself, you’re wearing a helmet, and the edge of the mountain is nowhere in sight).

2.  Have a set goal. When facing a scary situation, give yourself a goal or a limit so that you can experience success once it’s reached.  For example, my goal was to go down the mountain one time.   If my goal would have been too big (“I have to snowtube all day”) or not set at all, I might not have been as apt to go for it.

3.  Do what you have to do. I used a lot of anxiety management techniques to get through my fear.  I took deep breaths (think blowing out birthday candles), visualized myself safely and happily at the bottom of the mountain, and said to myself “I’l be fine, I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine.”  Some other ideas for getting through scary moments:

  • use the buddy system  – taking a friend along can help ease the fear
  • distraction can be good a good thing – take your favorite trashy magazines on the plane, cue up the funniest parts of your favorite movie when going over the bridge, play doodlejump just before your big talk – whatever you can do to (safely) distract you from the task at hand
  • Remember the good lessons you are teaching your kids when they see you conquering your fears

4.  Remember your success. I often see folks forget the successes they’ve had in the past.  No only is this just a bummer, but it also causes them to miss out on potentially confidence-boosting situations.  What can you do to remember your successes?  Take pictures, write it down, tell people about it – but whatever you do don’t let yourself forget – it will make the next time a whole lot easier!

This is me remembering the conquering of my fears of snowtubing, speed, and sharp drops in altitude.

 

 

7 thoughts on “Making the Most of Fear”

  3. WeentAdhest says:

    free download games ntsd beta online three card poker wheeling downs casino wv free bingo prizes molotov dance probability of bingo java free slot game earth 2150 trilogy 3 games in 1 hotel casino funchal jackpot pt amp casino golden hotel moon ms philadelphia urban rivals slot car bellagio hotel casino las vegas rate online casino the lotto numbers www casino slots free mac poker game casino edgewater vancouver cache creek casino phone number monte carlo simulation for uncertainty last minute grand cayman condo deals rivera hotel and casino las vegas love the future bonus tracks deer hunter full game best paying online craps casino housewives strip poker crack serial nomer game age of castles online casinos online casino 2004 portal best anime nintendo games poker table octagon poker games to play free casino licenses turning point casino hotel casino florida blueprints for a poker table what would you spend a night in vegas lodge star casino machine play slot tip movers las vegas nevada online casinos with free no deposit hotel near fallsview casino disect a frog virtial game lotto decoder reviewscout jackpot co jackpot uk fairyland game car casino chicago chicagobestprice.com hotel online rent reservation national bingo night rules gaming industry in pune address game pad rumble xna not working bonus casino online sign loto michigan number slave poker game casino gambling internet online site ten top microgaming casino sign up bonus download pc poker purple poker chips lottery payout after tax 3 card poker flash golden palace casino jackpot extreme hair makeover by girlsdressup games learn how to play video poker denver area casino imgburn for xbox 360 games barstow toys for tots poker run poker tourney 2008 casino ct mohegan poker sherd employee tricks black jack gum longest baseball game ever played carnival cruise casino age epiphone casino natural finish morongo resort casino spa texas hold em poker gba cheas poker clothing atlantic borgata casino city hotel jersey new western casino vegas ti 84 plus silver edition games fast ones slot car poker cash pot poker chip company tropicana resort and casino las vegas nv bingoz cheats blackjack dealers group link play site slot uk.groups.yahoo.com uk.groups.yahoo.com uk.groups.yahoo.com upcoming poker events indiana casinos.com oklahoma casino table games golden nugget las vegas poker soaring eagle casino concert gameboy advance cheat codes for world poker tour 1 million poker chips video game addiction help casino davincis gold free poker downloads for macintosh lotto lucky seven the bridges at casino magic pokerstop exclusive password california casino indian miguel san potawatomie bingo casino lotto new jersey black jack prepared download party poker macros maderia beach sun cruz casino computer games free download ballys casino las vegas strip poker rummy casino duncan ok used video game stores play online bingo uk royal blue vest gods of poker wheellingcasino carlo free monte play slot bingo free fun slot sahara hotel and casino las virtual meet new people games for mac computers world poker tour chips empire poker jackpot poker standard how to manage your money in a slow economy tresure island casino minnesota chicago chicagobestprice jackpot concert discount flight industry online poker travel

  5. sikis izle says:

    Can I just say what a relief to find someone who actually knows what theyre talking about on the internet. You definitely know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people need to read this and understand this side of the stor. I cant believe youre not more popular because you definitely have the gift.

Comments are closed.