Fear can sometimes limit us . . .
. . . and often, one of the last things we want to do is confront what scares us the most.
For Kelly McGonigal, PhD it felt like avoiding her biggest fear was only helping to reinforce it.
But when she started using mindfulness practice just a little bit differently, she was finally able to face it and move beyond it.
Have a look at how Kelly did it, and why her technique could work for you.
Click on the video below to check it out – it’s only 4 minutes.
If you are interested in the impact of mindfulness, check out our courses on mindfulness.
How have you used mindfulness to help clients face their fears or cope with anxiety? Please share your response below.
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I have a form of mindfulness that helps me not to stress and worry about future events. For example, if I have a speaking engagement 2pm Tuesday next week, I remind myself that it’s not next week yet. Then on Monday I remind myself that it’s not Tuesday yet. Tuesday morning I remind myself that it isn’t even the afternoon yet. Etc. So at 2pm, with the usual busyness of getting the tech set-up working, suddenly I’m speaking and of course everything is fine! I have good notes to read if I have a wobbly moment, and engaging material, and soon I’m responding positively to the audience responding positively.
Yes, I do congratulate myself later, and stay with the positive feeling. I’ve done it so often that I don’t feel the horrid fear that I used to, which pretty much made me sick for a whole week in advance!
I’ve used this technique for many fears and it works.
we must get the message and haVE CLARITY. oTHERWISE THE STRESS INCREASES
I knew nothing of Mindfulness at the time, but I recall vividly when I gave up my fear of flying. I named it– I was afraid that if there was an emergency I would scream and make a fool of myself–. As soon as I realized why I was afraid, I began to laugh and to realize how “foolish” that was. I have never been afraid since.
“….So I have a pretty good idea what Kelly McGonigal is talking about when she says that stress can be your friend. No doubt, stress can be a stimulant, a challenge to be met rather than overwhelmed by. Stressful events can bring out the best in us, lift us to levels we never thought possible. We can rise to the occasion.
But, it’s not quite that simple, is it? Sometimes stress is wearing, even overwhelming; and whether it is or not depends on a great many variables — the nature and duration of the stressful events, our personality, the amount of support available to us, our experience dealing with stress, and on and on.
Here’s a few things I think I’ve learned about stress that don’t quite fit McGonigal’s view…”(see article)
– Michael Friedman L.M.S.W.article in Huffington Post “A Response To Kelly McGonigle…”