F.E.A.R.
F.E.A.R.
Fear Everything
And Regret
“We should all start to live before we get too old. Fear is stupid. So are regrets”
I’ve been thinking a lot about fear and how debilitating it can be. The pandemic hasn’t made my fear worse believe it or not, actually what it’s done is cause me to reflect on my life and experience some regret. Regret for so many things that I didn’t do before the world changed forever. The trips I didn’t take, are especially a heavy regret I am carrying on my shoulders. The world, and travel will never be the same as it was before and I wish I’d gone to more of my bucket list destinations before it all changed.
I’ve realized that fear keeps you from living your best life and if you continue to live a life full of fear you will end up on your deathbed with nothing but regret. So I now have an acronym for fear.
Fear Everything And Regret.
The photo above on the left from September 2019 was never meant to be shared (hence my cringe-worthy appearance 😆) Given what I am trying to articulate, however, I think it is relevant. This photo was taken about 3 weeks after my wisdom teeth surgery after I’d already lost probably around 8-10 pounds from my starting weight. Severely impacted and painful wisdom teeth are something I’d dealt with for years, and kept procrastinating till it reached a point that I couldn’t eat without pain. Why? Well, it’s simple. I was afraid of being put under the knife, of being given anesthesia. I was terrified!
I finally had to take care of it only about 25 years too late and had a difficult time recovering. All of this combined allowed me to lose some weight. I was so surprised trying on my clothes after weeks in yoga pants. I found that they were getting too big and I was able to order the next size down. (jeans I am wearing in the pic on the left)
I did something that I didn’t think was possible for me, and stuck with the momentum. I decided I liked what I looked like having lost a bit of weight and I knew I needed to lose a lot more. Most of you who are familiar with my story know that I went on to lose 50 pounds. I have a goal of a total of 20 more and am about 15 pounds away from that goal today. The thing is, I realize that my fear of having my wisdom teeth removed held me back from achieving my best life. The fear kept me from living my healthiest life. If only I’d done it sooner, I might have lost weight sooner. For my personal experience, my weight was holding me back from living the life I wanted.
We’re all afraid of something, some of us many things. Take my word for it and ask yourself how many things you fear, and how many of those things have kept you from living your best life or achieving the best version of yourself you can achieve.
Steps to combat fear:
Name Your Fear. Give your fear a name. By accepting it, saying it out loud, you can give yourself the strength to deal with it.
Educate Yourself. It’s easy to be afraid of things we don’t have enough information and knowledge on. For example, turbulence. Once you understand what it is, why it happens and why it’s not that terrifying, perhaps you’ll be able to to cope with it and fly.
Have a Positive Attitude. When we go about our day in a positive state of mind, it’s harder to focus on things we fear. If you knew that your success was guaranteed in something, would you still be afraid to try it? Or, are you perhaps afraid of your own success?
What if? I’ve lived in a world of what if’s for a long time. What if I get sick, what if something bad happens? but, what if you start thinking positive what ifs? What if I succeed? What if I do a great job? What if I get promoted? What if I lose weight?
Think of all you will gain. Once you acknowledge and name your fear, list it on a piece of paper and list a few things that you will gain from it if you stop being fearful. Flying is a great example. If I stop being fearful of flying, I will gain cultural experiences, eat new cuisine, meet new and interesting people, have amazing stories to tell from my journeys.
I hope this has provided you with a bit of Inspiration to toss your fears aside and begin living your best life!
Blessings + Joy
Aleyna