Living in fear and uncertainty amidst a global pandemic is real. It can be debilitating, leaving us feeling powerless and out of control. Looking at the fear and examining what it’s made of , can help relieve some tension, but looking at those fears isn’t enough by itself.
In the first part of the Dismantling Fear practice, I spoke of categorizing the identified fears into one of two baskets: TRUE NOW or FALSE. Then what do you do with them?
Here are the next steps:
- Read each fear that landed in the TRUE NOW basket. Are they still true? If any are not, move them to the FALSE basket.
- Now do a Burning Bowl Ceremony with those fears in the FALSE basket. It’s time to let those babies go!! Read each fear aloud before placing in the burning vessel you’ve chosen and say: You are not real. I release you to a new form.
- Take a break and celebrate yourself for doing this important inner work of letting go of what no longer serves you! Make a cup of tea, go out for a walk, or sit and enjoy some reading.
The next day, or if you’re feeling up to it, the same day you began this process, move on to working with one of the TRUE NOW fears.
- Which one brings up the most heaviness as you read it? This is the one to work with first.
- What small step can I/we take right now to address this problem? Write down everything that comes to mind, no matter how wacky or “unrealistic” it may sound.
- Pick one of the steps you wrote down and choose to do that. Maybe it’s asking for help from an agency, or asking for repayment of a loan you made to a friend. However small or insignificant the step may seem, take it. Taking the tiniest action moves us forward.
Be gentle, kind and loving with yourself during and after these processes. Give yourself time and emotional space by not taking on too much too quickly. When you’re ready to dismantle another fear, repeat steps 1-3.
Well done! You’ve taken giant steps to regain some of your power during tough times. Your fears may be within you, but they are not you.
Once you’ve done this process, please share with me in the Comments how it may have benefited you or what shifts you felt in doing it.
Featured Photo by Egor Vikhrev on Unsplash