The A.R.T. of Conquering FearSample

To fully acknowledge fear, you have to understand the root causes of those fears. Ask yourself three questions.

1) What is the history of my fear? In answering this question, think about how long you have been dealing with the fear. When did the fear start? You may find during this exploration phase that your fear is not driven by a personal experience, but rather, has been handed down or instilled in you. For example, a parent’s fear of financial loss may manifest itself or show up as hoarding in their child. That child, as an adult may not understand why they tend to hold on to things instead of throwing them away. The fear of financial loss has been instilled in the child. What is the history of your fears?

2) What triggers your fear? My past fear of rejection is triggered whenever I plan an event that requires people to attend.

3) How does your fear affect you? I mentioned in Day 1 that our fears often show up as symptoms or actions. How do you respond to your fear? Do you get angry, withdraw from the situation, deflect or avoid dealing with the issue? It is important to understand your response so you can begin to recognize the effect and adjust your actions to begin conquering those fears.