On the other side of fear is..

On the other side of fear is happiness. On the other side of fear is happiness. Say it with me. 

One of my closest friends told me this a couple years ago and it stuck. It became my mantra for a solid six months when I was trying to figure out how to get out of New York, make my job remote-friendly and leave a decade of life and friends. You see, I let fear talk me out of making any changes for so long and that it had built up so thick it felt like I was trudging through quicksand. 

Here are some things we know about fear:

It is often intended to keep us safe. 

Fear can give us important information. 

Fear can keep us stuck. 

The voice of fear is loud.

Past events that didn’t go the way we wanted can resurface as fear in the present. 

Fear is programmed into our nervous system. It is natural and here to stay. 

Some fear can be healthy. Like if you are driving in the rain and can’t see clearly, you may pull over. Other fears, can often manifest in panic, worry and stress. These can be unhealthy and unnecessary. 

Enter courage. Courage and fear go hand in hand. You need to call on the most courageous part of yourself to combat the fear. 

How? 

Here is a tip. Think of a time when you were super courageous. Remember how you felt, remember the energy you felt around this experience, how did you stand. Give this experience a name (yes, like a proper noun name) so you can access it easily. The next time you find yourself feeling anxious or fearful, conjure up that feeling by calling on this courageous archetype within yourself. Take a breath and go. 

If you are feeling fearful about the unknown or a situation in your life, know that it is temporary, and often, on the other side of it, is something better than you even imagined possible.