I've been noticing something interesting lately. I've been noticing that it seems that women are very reluctant to admit they have any fears. I've always thought that it was men who don't like to admit they are afraid. Well, I'm seeing something different now.
The men I talk to seem just fine with telling me what they are afraid of and what they think might be holding them back. Women, not so much. It's as if admitting you have fear is taboo with women. What is this about?
I'm also thinking that maybe some people just don't know fear is present in their lives. With that thought, I present a list of ways that fear may be showing up for you. Men and women. We all have fear and the sooner we realize it, admit it and embrace it, the sooner we can do something about it. It can run your life if you let it!
Do you see yourself in this list? Let me know what you think about my list and feel free to add your own:
- You're irritated. A lot.
- You worry. A lot.
- You don't bother trying because you know you won't succeed
- You shop to make yourself feel better
- You eat to make yourself feel better
- You play video games for hours on end
- You are busy, busy, busy, all the time but you're not feeling like you've accomplished anything
- You don't speak your mind
- You can't say, "no" when you want to
- You hesitate to say, "yes" when an opportunity arises
- When a door opens you can think of 100 reasons why you "shouldn't" walk through it
- You generally don't trust people
- You don't get along with other women
- You stay in a job that sucks the life out of you
- You stay in a relationship that sucks the life out of you
- You avoid or disconnect or shut down periodically
- You never ask for help or support
- You don't cry in front of others
- If feels as if life is against you
I could go on and on. Just know that fear can show up in our lives in so many ways. It doesn't mean you're walking around feeling afraid all the time. Fear is sneaky and it's as smart as you are. It will find a way into your life and it will find a way to infiltrate your thinking and your decisions.
How is fear playing a role in who you are and how you show up each day? I'd love to hear your experiences.
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I'm too afraid to comment….:)
But seriously, I can admit to this! I don't express fear at all verbally! Hmmm, thanks for making me think about this….
I thought my irritation was just how I was raised. But I was also raised with a lot of fear, and learned to be fearful. Lots of things irritate me a lot all the time. My automatic phrase is: “That’s so annoying!” I am working on getting a grip on this. Funny that it was at the top of the list . . .
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