Don't Be Afraid of Fear

As you can guess from our name, courage is very important to us. We aspire to promote courage within caregivers to help them meet their daily challenges. Courage enables us to do great things. It gives us strength in the face of fear, grief or pain, and enables us to take risks when necessary to achieve a desired outcome. 
 
Fear, on the other hand, can inhibit our actions. There are many things we might fear for ourselves and our loved ones, and that’s natural. Think of courage as the antidote for fear. If we have courage, we can conquer those fears. In general, we can respond to fear in one of two ways: we can run away from it, or we can face it and rise above it. I'm not suggesting that this is easy - it's hard, and I know this all too well.
 
We act with courage more often than we may realize – whenever we:

  • Speak up to offer an opinion, answer a question, or defend someone

  • Express our needs and ask for something

  • Listen to other points of view without judging or challenging

  • Have a tough conversation with a friend, loved one or coworker

  • Speak in public or engage a stranger in conversation

  • Set boundaries or say “no” as part of our self-care

  • Make changes in our life, large or small, to bring more joy and peace to the world

  • And many other ways

When we face our fears and plan ways to build courage and overcome the fear, we are gaining control.  As noted in this article on the HealthyPlace website, “What many people don’t realize is that the presence of fear and anxiety does not mean the absence of courage. Further, the presence of anxiety and fear doesn’t define you. … Courage is the friend of anxiety and fear.” 
 
How have you shown courage today?