: By Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com

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Feel the Fear — and Trust Anyway

by Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com

There’s a lot of fear going around these days. Of course, fears have always been present in our lives. They comprise our life challenges, our life lessons, our stepping stones to the next stage of our life. But these days, it seems like the fears have not only multiplied, they have amplified.

For many years now, health has been a major fear – cancer has been a big one, heart attacks, and then of course came Covid, where we were not only afraid of catching the disease, but we became afraid of each other. And recently, fear of insecurity – which really all fears are -- has come up to poison our peace of mind.

The financial stability or security of many people’s lives has been shaken, bringing up fear… Life-long investments suddenly being cut in half? Social Security going away? Medicare being cut? Medicaid slashed? Social net disappearing? All of this brings up fear of the future.

And of course we have climate fears… the increase in fires and other disasters that originate in the natural world… tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, heat-waves, droughts, etc. All of these events bring up fear as we feel we have no control over them, over who they will affect, and how they will affect our lives.

Yet many times, fear is not rooted in anything in the actual present. It is fear of the future. We fear what we don’t yet see, but imagine is coming.

False Expectations Appearing Real

You may have heard that fear is an acronym for False Expectations Appearing Real. The point is that the thing we fear is not real… it doesn’t exist in this present moment… it’s in the future... maybe. And that in itself makes it false. It’s just a figment of our imagination. And yes, some of these things may come to pass, but oftentimes, they are not as bad as we possibly had envisioned. We, after all, have very creative imaginations which have been fed by movies and doomsday stories for a long time.

And here’s the crux of this… we envision the thing we are afraid of. And just like setting a goal where you have a vision and then focus your energy on it, when we envision the thing we fear, we are doing the same thing. We are focusing on it and giving it energy… even though it is not a goal we desire, we are still feeding it our energy, our thoughts, our attention, our power.

Feel the Fear and Trust Anyway

I was reflecting on Susan Jeffers’ bestselling book: Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. I realized that in situations where the fear is less tangible than, let’s say, public speaking, or starting a new job, we need to Feel the Fear and Trust Anyway. We need to choose our next thoughts to be of an outcome that we desire, and trust and have faith in a positive resolution.

Now this doesn’t mean we don’t prepare and “take care of business,” as they say. If you're afraid of public speaking, it's good to practice in front of a mirror and in front of friends. If you're afraid of starting your new job, it can help to visualize harmonious situations at your new job.

If we fear running out of food and water if there’s a storm, then it’s a good idea to always have a stock of food and water so that you’re prepared. But simply focusing on the fear, without taking any action to counterbalance it, is not only a waste of energy, but a drain on ourselves, and doesn't provide any alternative to the fearful result.

I Am Safe!

An affirmation (or mantra) that I use when fear comes up is: I am safe, I am protected, I am well taken care of. This changes the focus and moves the energy from the expectation of something fearful, to expecting protection and safety... a good outcome rather than a bad one.

Does that change the reality of things? Based on findings in quantum physics, the observer affects the result of the experiment, and what is Life if not a big experiment? So yes, our thoughts, our vibrations, our expectations, do affect the outcome of events in our life.

Influencing Results

As a side note, I always thought that some of the studies that were done by, let’s say, the tobacco industry, or the sugar industry, etc., were not only flawed, but faked. In other words, I believed they must have manipulated the data so they could say that tobacco-smoking was safe, that sugar was safe, etc. But I now see the possibility that since the observer affects the outcome, if a scientist is performing an experiment and desiring a certain result, his energy, his emotions, his thoughts affect the result in his favor.

Now for some of you, my belief or conclusion may be "way-out-there" or "woo-woo," but I feel strongly (and many others feel the same way) that what we hold in our consciousness, what we hold in our emotions, in our energy, in our mind, in our heart, is what we are directing our whole being toward.

So yes, feel the fear, notice the energies that are swirling around you, yet choose a focus that empowers a better life for you… not the one that takes away your power and gives it away to the thing you fear.

Fear feeds fear, it feeds darkness, it can also feed giving up. So, we need to face our fear, see that it is an expectation based on a lack of trust in the future, and start feeling, thinking, and doing in another direction… one where we act according to our guidance and thus are safe, protected, well taken care of, and where things work out for the highest good.

Music Interlude

About The Author

Marie T. Russell is the founder of InnerSelf Magazine (founded 1985). She also produced and hosted a weekly South Florida radio broadcast, Inner Power, from 1992-1995 which focused on themes such as self-esteem, personal growth, and well-being. Her articles focus on transformation and reconnecting with our own inner source of joy and creativity.

Creative Commons 3.0: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License. Attribute the author: Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com. Link back to the article: This article originally appeared on InnerSelf.com

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Article Recap:

In this inspiring article, Marie T. Russell explores how fear, often rooted in imagined futures, can drain our energy and limit our potential. Drawing on metaphysical insights and practical wisdom, she offers a shift in perspective: feel the fear, acknowledge it, and choose trust instead. With affirmations and clarity, she reminds us that we are not powerless—we are creators of our inner and outer reality.

#FeelTheFear #TrustAnyway #FalseExpectations #DailyAffirmation #QuantumMindset #EnergyAwareness #MarieTRussell #InnerSelfcom

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Thanks for visiting InnerSelf.com, where there are 20,000+ life-altering articles promoting "New Attitudes and New Possibilities." All articles are translated into 30+ languages. Subscribe to InnerSelf Magazine, published weekly, and Marie T Russell's Daily Inspiration. InnerSelf Magazine has been published since 1985.