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There are a lot of different energies happening in the world right now. Many things are colliding, coming to the surface and rebirthing into something we have yet to even fathom. The world is changing, drastically. There’s this big concept called fear and people are holding onto it. Whether it’s fear of change, fear of losing something or fear of losing one’s life.
There are two sides to the same coin called fear. It may all look the same but there is a distinction. There’s the real life, adrenaline rushing events which cause a fight or flight response in your body. Then there’s the fear we create in our minds with thoughts of something that could happen, hasn’t happened and possibly might not ever happen, which causes the same fight or flight response. Your body can’t distinguish whether the fearful event is in your head or physically in front of you. The body responds the same, which causes stress, felt or unfelt.
I confronted my own fear around the events happening in this country. After being quarantined for four months, I needed a break from the energy of New York City. I could feel the energy was building up and ready to be released in an unpredictable way. I decided to hit the road to get some space, see some friends & family and be out in nature. I kept going back and forth about whether it would be a good idea for me to travel given the pandemic, the tension in the country and the color of my skin. I was fearful of getting stopped by police or having someone do something to me because they didn’t like how I looked. We’re seeing the ugliness of this country right now and it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think or feel that way.
My first stop was Pittsburgh. I met up with some friends to go on a 4-day bike trip along the Alleghany Trail. In the back of my mind was the same gnawing feeling of fear. I was allowing the fear generated by circumstances outside of myself and out of my control to feed into my experience. I had a great time but I still had several more stops on my travels. I then went to Columbus, OH to visit a friend. My friend and I had several conversations about the rest of my trip and how to navigate it. We talked at nauseam about the different scenarios. At the end of these conversations, I recognized I needed to quiet everything and listen to my inner wisdom and what it was telling me. In that space of quiet a couple of things presented themselves. I was following a divine plan that would break me out of my fear and I needed to take the steps first.I decided to continue on my trip with no set plans or precautions. I allowed the wisdom to guide me. I kept hearing “all is ok, step forward”. Everything came with ease as friends showed up to offer places to stay, places to explore and invitations to meet up. All with ease. I let go and allowed a partnership with the universe.
I’m currently in Memphis visiting my brother and his family. I wouldn’t be able to have this time with them if I listened to the fear. In my next few cities I get to see friends I haven’t seen in a while and explore a state I haven’t been to for a possible landing spot in the future. These are not experiences I would have if I listened to the fear and not my inner wisdom.
Through all of this I learned that wisdom only comes when you’re actively engaged in life and taking the small steps forward. We can’t wait for wisdom to hit and then move. We have to move simultaneously with the wisdom. Life isn’t a stand still journey. When you move, the fear dissipates and what you’re left with is the wisdom to guide you, whatever and wherever that may be. Regardless of the direction, we have to listen in order to overcome the fear and live life as it was meant to be, filled with courage, love and unexpected adventures around every corner.
Here are some tips to conquer fear:
Quiet the mind and be still
Acknowledge whatever thoughts you’re having about what’s happening and not happening in your experience and let them go
Listen to the wisdom that comes through in the quiet
Move forward, no matter how big or small
We all have fear. We all tell ourselves the stories that create fear. We also have the tools to deal with fear. We all have within us the ability to experience the freedom from fear.
© David Medina
