Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones. -Thich Nhat Han Fear is one of the most powerful emotions we can experience. It can prevent us from attempting to achieve our potential or engage in life as fully as we would like to. We may shy away from important prospects because we are afraid of failure, or we might not speak up for ourselves because we are afraid of judgment. Fear often exacerbated our addictions– we were too afraid of life so we attempted to numb ourselves with drugs and alcohol. However, when we learn to let go of fear, we are finally able to become the person we have always wanted to be. We tend to put a great amount of pressure on ourselves when faced with anxiety-producing situations. We tend to fall into the mistaken belief that every situation we are afraid of will have life-or-death consequences. Most situations, however, are simply not that important in the big picture. Drake Baer and Shana Lebowitz, in a 2016 Business Insider article entitled 15 Scientific Tricks to Beat Stress, Anxiety, and Fear, explain, “when you compare something in your daily life to decisions that are truly life-and-death, it gives you better perspective as to what’s really important — and that failure at something that’s probably just trivial isn’t something to be so fearful or anxious about.” If we get lost in our fears of future situations, we are unlikely to face and overcome them. It can be helpful to remember that all fears are in the future, not the present. There is no logical reason to worry about them or let them affect us. Stan Popovich, in a 2015 Huffington Post article entitled How to Overcome the Fear of the Future, explains, “All the worrying in the world will not change anything. All you can do is to do your best each day, hope for the best, and when something does happen, take it in stride.” Worrying will only make a problem worse for us, and we should do our best to keep in mind that the situations we afraid of may not even happen. Instead of giving in to unnecessary worry about the future, we can maintain our present serenity and overcome any situation that may happen.
Oceanfront Recovery, a licensed dual diagnosis treatment center in the heart of beautiful Laguna Beach, is staffed with caring and compassionate professionals dedicated to providing perfect environment for men and women to begin the process of healing from addiction. The Residential Program at Oceanfront offers a variety of treatment methodologies and activities, including hiking, yoga, meditation, equine therapy, and many more. For information about the Residential Program or other individualized treatment options, please call today: (877) 279-1777
