Introduction
We have all been afraid. Fear is a natural human response to the many kinds of threats we encounter throughout our lives. Fear arises when we believe we are facing an obstacle that will harm us in some way, an obstacle we think we cannot overcome. We usually respond to these threats in a haphazard way, doing whatever comes to us at the moment — white-knuckling through the ordeal, cringing in a corner to avoid it, or just plain freaking out.
What if we had a plan that we could practice in anticipation of these catastrophic events, so that when they come, we can face them head-on and control them rather than letting these events control us? Fear will always be with us, and that’s actually good. There are things in this world that we should be afraid of. Even so, fear doesn’t have to control us. We can’t eliminate fear, but we can manage it. And that’s what this book is about — helping you to create a plan for dealing with the scary parts of life so that you will be able to manage your fear and take care of yourself no matter what you are going through.
In this series, I will present four easy tools that you can adapt to any situation, tools that will help you arm yourself so you can face whatever you are going through with peace and confidence. I am an ordinary person who decided to take charge of her life, and it worked. I want to share my success with you.
Here Are the Four Tools
I have a therapist friend named Sandy who, when I’d tell her about something I was dreading, would say, “How are you going to take care of yourself as you go through this?” As I prepared for surgery, I thought long and hard about how I would take care of myself on the arduous journey through cancer, and, over time, developed the five tools that I’ll explain in this book. That’s how you should think of my plan — as a set of tools that will help you to protect yourself against whatever onslaught you are facing, whether it be medical, personal, or job-related. You can get through this. You can maintain peace of mind, even in the worst of circumstances if you prepare yourself to face what is coming your way. Ignoring the problem and hoping it will go away won’t work. Neither will falling apart. You have to arm yourself with a plan. And that plan is made up of the following four tools:
1. Breathing
2. Visualization
3. Mantra memorization
4. Surrender, Step-by-Step
The beauty of these tools is that you will be using them to create your own plan, your own system for dealing with your fear. So, strap on your tool belt and let’s get started!
