Have you ever held on to a fear long enough that your mood and physical state changed?

Have you fixated on negative thoughts, replaying a disaster-based scenario in your mind over and over to the point where you were incapable of moving forward? You weren’t in immediate danger; however, your body didn’t know the difference and you felt the same anxiety as if you were experiencing the event in real time.

I have. Many times.

Y2K, 911, the 2007-2008 financial crisis and the global pandemic were all events when my thoughts and fears exceeded my actual reality. Prior to and after these events I ran countless ‘what-if’ scenarios, fixating on financial or business disasters and potential health emergencies that could afflict my family.

None of these ‘doomsday planning’ activities had any bearing on the actual outcome. I was paying interest on a debt I did not owe.

The common denominator for all these events was fear. Running the endless ‘what if’ loop while in a state of fear seldom produces effective solutions. It’s very hard to be creative when you’re controlled by fear.

Fear freezes innovation, action, and initiative. Left to fester, it chokes off your ability to climb out of the pit of despair you’ve dug for yourself.

So how do you interrupt the fear loop and move forward? I found some clues many years ago.

I learned my most valuable fear management lessons inside and outside the boxing ring.

A pivotal time in my combative skills development occurred while I waiting to spar the head instructor of a mixed-martial arts (MMA) gym I trained at.

I was watching the instructor mercilessly beat each student, one-by-one as he taught his version of a boxing clinic. As I awaited my turn, I watched each student get pummeled and or knocked out. I started to get a knot in my stomach, my pulse quickened as I let the fear of an impending beating take control of my mind and emotions.

I couldn’t imagine myself doing any better than the other guys and was starting to panic.

Finally, it was my turn. I don’t know where I got the courage, but I managed to climb the stairs to the ring and step through the ropes to take my position in the corner of the ring. The bell rang to start the round, I started to fight and… my immobilizing fear ‘magically’ evaporated.

I later pondered, why was I frozen with fear standing outside of the ring but then able to start throwing punches once the bell rang?

I believe fear is a negative fantasy of the future. It’s an emotion we associate to a possible future. Standing outside the ring I was living in my head, seeing my friends get knocked out and visualizing the same painful result for myself.

The moment the round began, I no longer had the luxury of thinking about or fearing the future, I had to act immediately to avoid getting knocked out. I had to be present. In being present, I could no longer dwell on my fear.

I believe that action is the antidote to immobilizing fear.

Once we direct our focus to what is within our immediate control and take action, the edge is taken off our fear.

When we are taking action, we are moving forward.

The same approach can be applied to all areas of life.

The next time fear begins to creep into your thoughts, ask yourself “what can I do now?”. Then do it.

Schedule a call with me if you’d like to discuss strategies to manage fear.