Fear is a part of our everyday lives. It’s not always the adrenaline-fueled, hair-raising stuff we think about in extreme, life-or-death situations. Instead, it sits with us daily: in our meetings, our conversations, our choices and our inner monologues. It creeps into our thoughts, in ways big and small.
Sometimes fear is a savvy protector, keeping us from making that rash decision without thinking it all the way through or rushing into a conflict we’ll later regret.
But many times fear also keeps us from trying something new or exploring ideas that make us uncomfortable. In other words, fear is wonderful when it keeps us safe from actual danger, but it’s suffocating when it holds us back from learning or growing.
Many of us have a tendency to avoid or criticize fear – but today let’s do something different: let’s engage fear through reflective journaling. Pick one of these journal prompts, and don’t be afraid – you’ve got this.
Play With Your Fear
Unmask fear’s multiple personalities.
Fear can take many different forms: procrastination, perfectionism, sarcasm, practicality. Write about the various ways fear manifests itself in your life. What disguises does it take? What pseudonyms does it have? What tricks does it pull? You can even turn this into several journal prompts: one as a straightforward account of fear’s personalities, one as a fictional story about fear’s sneaky exploits, one as a graphic novel with drawings of fear’s different faces.
Have a conversation with fear.
Often the more you try to block out fear’s voice, the louder it yells. So take the opposite approach in your reflective journaling. Engage fear in a civil discussion. Ask what it has to say, and listen as politely as you can. Try not to interrupt until it’s done making its case. Think about what fear is telling you, and see if you can see its perspective from a place of empathy. You don’t have to agree, but you can attempt to understand. Then calmly but firmly respond. Tell fear how your relationship is going to be right now and why you feel this way.
Give fear a job.
First, recognize those times when you appreciate fear. To be fearless is to put yourself in danger – physically or emotionally – so you don’t want to live without it completely. But fear can also act like an overprotective parent or a skittish child, overreacting to any possible threat. Help steer fear in a productive direction by giving it specific tasks in your life.
Free-write about when fear is most useful for you. Use that to write a job description for fear. For example: “Fear, you are excellent at spotting ways I could get hurt. I want you to channel that into safeguarding my health. Be on the watch for when I’m taking on too much or not eating properly or not sleeping enough. Keep me in line and make sure I take care of myself.”
Reminisce about fear.
You and fear are certainly not strangers, and it’s not likely to go away any time soon. Your goal isn’t to be fearless but instead to acknowledge fear, then do what you need to do anyway. Think back on a time when you did this successfully. How did you recognize fear? What did it say to you? How did it try to deter you from what you were doing? How did you respond? What were the results? Write down your reflections from this experience and what you can learn from it for future situations.
Browse hundreds and hundreds more journal prompts.
If you want to learn how journaling can help you tackle life's challenges and pushing past your fears, please download the free eBook, The Journaling Guide to Manage The Stress and Strains of Life.
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