I have been working with fear this week. It shows up instantly, it lingers, it catches you in your dreams and wakes you up from it. It is a strong emotion that at times debilitates people.
The emotion of fear is a signal for you to take care of yourself. It is telling you that either there is danger around you in the present moment or by some of your decision making danger will show up in the future. Trying to tell you that uncomfortableness is around the corner. Do something NOW.
Fear will show up in your body, your breathing will become shallow, your stomach, shoulders, jaws, or whole-body might get weak or experience pain. Some people become numb and lose functionality, some will ignore it and have anxiety or panic attacks, some will ignore it and have nightmares or get insomnia. For some who ignore their fear, they find themselves not being attentive at all to daily activities and lose their productivity momentum.
So, what do we do with this important emotion? Well, respect it, listen to it, see what the message is for you. And… Don’t let it stop you….
After understanding the message of the fear, let’s do a reality check with what really is at stake. Is the fear real? Is the fear due to something that is happening now, or just a fear from the past, or a future that has not happened? Is the fear from the days that you did not have the skills to handle what is in front of you and your system has not integrated all that you have learned? Is there a skill that you actually have to learn to handle what is in front of you? Can you see what the worst-case scenario is and see if you can tolerate and survive it?
Is it a matter which there is no action needed and you just need to accept what is and come to terms with life?
Let’s now focus on your strength and resiliency and bring them into the picture and action. With the strength, knowledge, wisdom, resources that you have today, how can you handle the matter that you are facing? Who can you get the support to handle what you need? What do you need to do to take care of yourself? What do you need to do to handle the situation?
Remember, Fear is a natural emotion and is there to protect you. So, do a reality check and take care of yourself and what is needed. Use your power and courage to overcome it and move on enjoying life.
Life is precious so enjoy it
About Dr. Foojan Zeine
Dr. Foojan Zeine is an International Speaker, Author, Psychotherapist, Clinical Supervisor, and successful Life and Executive Coach. She has her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist. She sees her clients online and at her San Clemente, California office. Her expertise is in Intimate Relations and Addictive Behaviors. She has extensive experience treating Depression, Anxiety, Traumas, and Domestic Violence. She is a lecturer at the California State University – Long Beach.
Foojan is the originator and the author of “Awareness Integration” Psychological and Educational Theory, a multi-modality approach and intervention toward minimizing Depression, Anxiety while improving Self Esteem and Self Confidence. She is the author of 6 books, including “Life Reset – The Awareness Integration Path to Create the Life You Want” (Rowman & Littlefield 2017); “Awareness Integration Therapy – Clear the past, Create a new Future, and Live a Fulfilled Life Now.” (Cambridge Scholars 2021); “Intentional Parenting – A Practical Guide to Awareness Integration Theory” (Cambridge Scholars 2022).
She conducts training workshops to educate psychotherapists and teachers on this approach. This method has been researched and published; in “Awareness Integration: A New Therapeutic Model” in International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience, Vol. 16, No. 60-65, pp. ISSN 1522-4821; “Awareness Integration: An Alternative Therapeutic Methodology to Reducing Depression, Anxiety, While Improving Low Self Esteem and Self-Efficacy in Separated or Divorced Individuals” Mental Health in Family Medicine Journal (2017)13:451-458; “Awareness Integration: A Non-Invasive Recovery Methodology in Reducing College Students Anxiety, Depression, and Stress” Journal of Educational Technology, www.tojet.net/special/2017_11_1.pdf 11/2017 special issue 105-114.
Foojan has been in Hospital Administration. She has headed the Partial Hospital Program Team for the Hollywood community of Van Nuys and Pacifica Hospital. She was responsible for organizing, facilitating, and supervising the Clinical and Mental Health staff and created strong and impact complete programs for the Partial Program patients. She has also developed two Transitional Housing Programs for Battered women Alternatives in Northern California and Haven Hills in Southern California. These programs offered case management and individual and family counseling for women and their children who have been victims of domestic violence and had to deal with domestic violence, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, child abuse, parenting, self-esteem, career development, chemical dependency, and eating disorders.
Foojan is the host of the Inner Voice – a Heartfelt Chat with Dr. Foojan Podcast. She also hosts a television show on Togetherness Media and Tapesh TV. She is a guest speaker at many universities, including Harvard, MIT, UCLA, USC, and UC Santa Barbara. She has been a guest on the Dr. Phil show on CBS and Fox. Foojan is a contributor to YourTango.com, DivorceForce.com, yogajournal.com, Wholelife.com, Reader’s Digest, Men’s Health, and Huffington Post.
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