I talk a fair bit about not giving into fear. But in truth, I am the same as everyone else, as Fear has been lurking in the shadows of my own mind too.
In the past, I have been one of Fear’s greatest conquests. Fear had really got the better of me; it was my constant companion; fuelled by the adrenaline it created within me. Keeping me on my toes 24/7; preventing me from taking any type of rest; nagging away, a constant ache that stabbed me sharply when I gave it more thought.
It really is admirably clever! It targets the things that we love the most! What are you most frightened of losing? The roof over your head, your spouse, your children, your own health, your life??This is what your fear goes for. It knows your weakness and will attack you right there.
What was mine? My greatest fear was and will always be that something could take my husband or children from me. I never feared sickness for myself – rightly or wrongly so, I prioritised myself as less important than them in my heart. So to lose them would be to lose everything.
Then my husband became sick. He got the (then) most dreaded disease of our time. Cancer.
Suddenly there it was. Staring me in the face. My fear.
I wasn’t afraid of cancer. I was afraid of losing my best friend. My partner in this world. The reason I have the strength to be who I am.
And then, through my own experiences I was shown that the treatment has the potential to do us far more damage biologically than the disease itself. I did not choose to see this; but I saw it because it was meant for me to see things the way I see them. Once again, rightly or wrongly my views and my values became what they are today because of our experience and the way things unfolded for us. I know of so many dear friends and family who have a totally different view because for them, the medical profession is a body they have to rely on, and rightly or wrongly they feel they have no choice. They will naturally look to them to provide cures and solutions, because they trust the industry, whereas my trust for them shattered 6 years ago.
My personal journey led us on a road of natural medicine and so far that has not let us down. With my own studies and applied natural therapies I have managed to keep my family healthy and fit and help patients and friends along the way. So, perhaps you can see how this only served to fortify my beliefs, that the answers to health challenges lie in nature and not in man made medicine. But this is my experience, and I must accept that others’ values are based on their experiences.
We are not here to change each other’s minds; to prove a point or get one over. Arguing about our passions will never convince another equally passionate soul that we are right and they are wrong. We are here to learn to respect that we will always have differing views no matter what; but that we all have the same potential weak spots and that Fear is our collective enemy.
Lets help each other through our fears; hold out our hand even when you cannot see the same monster. When we do this we bring courage as a gift to give to those who need it; a stabilising hold when their world is shaken.
We are united by our fear, although for each of us the reasons we feel it are different, but the end result is the same – we feel a great threat to that which we hold most important in our lives, and this is then the foundation for every decision we make, every thought we have and ultimately it shapes our existence.
If we remember collectively that fear is our enemy, and we have to stand together to defeat it, it gives us a greater empathy to those around us. We will all be victims of fear if we allow it, which will weaken us both as a race and as individuals.
How can we make the enemy retreat? By not giving into it. Deal with what you need to do practically and as effectively as you are able, but do not engage with the emotional snare set right next to it.
Try this exercise whenever you feel tendrils of fear rising in your belly –
- Stop whatever you are doing, watching, listening to etc.
- Sit or lie down and start to think of your breath entering and leaving your body.
- Ask yourself where in your body you can feel the fear. Is it in your belly, your shoulders, your jaw? Is your breathing short and laboured?
- Be conscious of this area in your body (it’s the place where fear targets you – it knows your weak spots!)
- Return your focus to your breath, and draw your breath mentally into this place. Breathe right into it.
- Exhale from the centre of the place in your body that is tight or restricted, and let it go. Totally relax this space.
- Do this a few times, until you feel relaxed and calm.
- You have just shown your enemy how strong you really are – feel how it has retreated!
Now is the time in our history to show we can conquer this. This war upon us – we can conquer our biggest and most evil enemy – our fear.
We must stop dividing with our opinions and our beliefs. I’m telling myself this too as I write….we must stop judging others by our own values. We must love one another, respect that our values come from our fears and work to support each other through them, instead of passing judgement. Lets fight fear as a race, show it that we have love in our hearts and with love comes great courage. Courage to stand together, to see how our own suffering is tearing us apart, and stop this in its tracks.
We’ve got this !
I wish you good health, clarity and calm and most of all LOVE ❤
LORRAINE EREIRA 