Are You Letting Fear
Hold You Back?
Fear can
serve a positive purpose, especially when it comes to safety or potential self-destruction.
The term “healthy fear” refers to a fear that is actually good for you in the
sense it can be a protection. For example, fear of drinking and driving or fear
of overdose can both be considered to be healthy fears because having a fear of
those things can move an individual to make safer choices. However there are
other fears that can be unhealthy. Some of these unhealthy fears can severely
limit you from living up to your full potential.
“One of the greatest discoveries a man makes,
one of his great surprises,
is to find he can do what he was afraid he
couldn’t do.” —Henry Ford
When
someone is working toward making positive lifestyle changes in response to a
substance use or mental health issue, there may be some fear involved during
the process of healing. To get better, some risks have to be taken and some
fears have to be faced for there to be growth. It is okay to be afraid from
time to time but the difference that separates people who are successful from
those who are not is the ability to move forward in spite of one’s feelings of fear.
The feeling of fear is inevitable at times, however the difference is whether
or not you will allow unhealthy fears to forever hold you back from the
progress you deserve.
The process
of working past your fears starts with insight and self-awareness. This
means first recognizing and acknowledging to yourself what you may be afraid
of. Once we recognize our fears we can learn to face them, and then slowly and
steadily work on them. Some fears may never fully leave us, however, we have a
degree of control over how we will allow fear to maintain a hold on us by
keeping us inactive. Many fears eventually go away with time, patience,
persistence and practice. The main point is to face our unhealthy fears and
keep moving forward toward our goals anyway
Group Process: Start with a general discussion
of the following questions focused on some of your strengths and coping skills.
Starting
with strengths – The fact that you are here now means that you have already
overcome some level of fear just to get where you are now – What fears have you
already started to face on your journey to get where you are today?
What helps
you personally with your fears? Who or what do you rely upon for courage and
strength?
Next – Review the following page:
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