FACING FEAR

The Course in Miracles says there are only two emotions: Love and Fear. You cannot be in love and fear at the same time. I like this acronym for fear: False Evidence Appearing Real, and boy does it ever appear real!  So real that it has a debilitating effect on your mind, body, and spirit. Stress creates cortisol, a hormone that causes damaging effects on your body. Fear clogs the mind and blocks it from clear thinking.  It closes you off from  your inner guidance.  So even though the feeling of fear is real, fear itself is an illusion. In his Inaugural speech during the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt said that "the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself."  He helped the American people of that time regain faith in themselves. I interpret that as returning to love. The only thing that is real is love. Even though I believe this, I don't always act as if I do. :-)

I have been dealing with a lot of false evidence appearing real lately - worry and stress (other names for fear) over my upcoming trip to Italy; concerns for my daughter, the drop in the stock market and my retirement account.  I play out "what if" scenarios in my head that robs me of having peace, and it's all things that haven't happened! I have no control over the circumstances that Life brings. I DO have control over my  reaction to those circumstances. My thoughts and the language I use in conjunction with what is happening in my life determine how I feel about it - whether I'm fearful, or trusting in love.  The best question we can ask ourselves is: Am I reacting with fear, or responding with love? Granted, it takes consistent practice to respond with love, but love feels good! Love feels safe, peaceful, right. Don't we all want to feel that way and live our lives that way? To help us do that, a second acronym to remember for fear is Face Everything And Rise. 

Today's recipe for delicious living requires just one ingredient - LOVE. 

Here are some of the ways I choose love when I am worried or afraid.

• Ask God for guidance
  
• Go for a run
  
• Fast (no food or drink) for a certain amount of time - it humbles my body and strengthens my spirit
  
• Watch something funny and LAUGH my a** off
  
• Dance and sing along to a favorite song
  
• Journal
  
• Share my feelings with a trusted friend
  
• See all my what if scenarios as UTTERLY RIDICULOUS and then envision the best outcome for the situation
  
• Read or listen to something absolutely inspiring
  
• Envision putting my problems in God's open hands and feeling the release in that
  
• Create something - being in a creative space elevates my state
  
• Meditate 
  
• Listen to crystal singing bowls
  
• Repeat my core I AM mantras - they are statements of who I am growing into 
  
• Follow the paraphrased advise in Philippians: whatsoever things are true, Whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, think on these things.
  

How do you choose love over fear in your life? I'd love for you to share them with me.