What is your fear trying to telling you?

Fear isn’t always scary!

I am reading a great book right now called “Playing Big” by Tara Mohr and I want to share this one part with you.

Fear

Fear is something that we all feel, and we are familiar with the feeling, but did you know that there are different kinds of fear? I did not understand this concept before reading this book.

Does fear immobilize you?

Many times we hear that we need to embrace fear, that we should step into it. The problem with that is the feeling of fear is so real to our bodies that we are immobilized by it,

How can I step into fear?

Understanding that there are different types of fear help us to see where we need to step into the fear and where we need to comfort ourselves or run away from the fire!

What is Pachad & Yirah?

Tara talks about having learned about these two types of fear from Rabbi Alan Lew. He describes Pachad as imagined fear. This is the fear we feel when we are worrying about what “could” happen, such as “I am going to trip as I walk up on stage to speak” or “people are going to laugh at my ideas”. Yirah is described as the feeling that comes over us when we are inhabiting a larger space than we are accustomed to, or the feeling we get when we suddenly come into a lot more energy than we had before, or what we feel in the presence of the divine.

Tara briefly describes it here (it is better described in the book)

Understanding is power!

If you can identify which fear you are feeling at the time it gives you the power to choose how you are going to react to it. When you are feeling Pachad you can soothe yourself, and know that you the feelings you are experiencing are probably imagined, and you can let go of that feeling. When you are feeling Yirah this is your time to step into that feeling… something great is probably waiting for you!

Yirah = Awe

When you are feeling Yirah, take a moment to feel it fully… breathe deeply and feel what your body feels. Remember this feeling so that each time  you feel it, you will become more and more comfortable with it.