Thriving Beyond Survival: An Emotional Architect’s Guide to Facing Fear – My legs are shaking as I try to steady myself; the excitement is overwhelming. “Softly now, you big Oger,” he laughs from beneath me as I step up onto his shoulders. Momentarily confident, I pull myself upwards towards the trapeze. The plan is….. I have no plan.
Lately, I’ve been falling in love with the unknown. Letting life take its course as I crash head-first into acceptance. Unsure of how this is going to play out, I hook my legs over the trapeze pulling myself into a seated position. In a moment of self-doubt, my gaze falls down to the floor, far, far beneath me. My head swoons, and my heart races from the excitement of something unfamiliar with nowhere to go but up.
I reach out to the guideline giving myself a spin, leaning back, and watching as the world blurs. Taking a deep breath in and holding back the fears and “What Ifs” running through my mind. Tipping upside down, I let go of the trapeze, safely balanced but teetering on the edge, observing the ground below. For a moment, nothing can take away the feeling of freedom mixed with the instinct to survive as I embrace absolute stillness within myself. It’s terrifyingly peaceful here.
My name is AzLynn. I am an Alignment and Embodiment Guide; you can also call me an Emotional Architect… I’ve spent over 16 years helping people heal from chronic pain as a Neuromuscular therapist. Now, I help people at the core of their pain by reprogramming their body to transform their healing. I can’t help but wonder, with so many instincts to survive, what is the instinct to thrive?
The body’s only job at a base level is to maintain life. Meaning the majority of our experiences and emotions are propelled by an unconscious survival instinct. For example, our body, when injured, creates a protection mechanism to avoid reinjury and pain. Over time this mechanism becomes hard-wired, changing the body’s alignment and muscle development; if this weakness is never addressed a chronic pain cycle is born. The same is true for emotions and physiological pain.
Emotions can embed and live unchallenged in the body. The desire to stay safe is so strong that becoming accustomed to facing your fears and moving through discomfort is the only thing that truly can change the face of your emotional architecture and create a lasting shift in both the physical and emotional worlds.
I tend to find that the excitement of trying something new is often confused with anxiety. The mirror of our past seems to crop up and hijack the trajectory of new endeavors, derailing our efforts. I see it in business and intimate relationships when challenging the story of who we are requires a leap of faith. Joyful excitement gets replaced and we find ourselves in a silent battle facing our fears. If you have felt the frustration of self-doubt or anxiety over big change, you know how difficult it can be to overcome the natural instinct to protect yourself from the fears of the past. The good news is that these little voices are merely an automated message that can be rewritten.
Our natural protective mechanisms often arise from the subconscious part of our nervous system and they can seem to have a spirit all their own. Before challenging a fear, approaching it with safety and a playful curiosity is key to lasting change.
Here are a few tips to help you along your journey.
- Cultivate Curiosity; Where does this fear come from? Can I connect it back to the love and importance of why I am here, desiring to change? Trying to directly address your fears and the protective mechanisms will distract and lead you away. Start by seeding curiosity throughout your environment. 3x a day, find one object close by and take in every aspect of it, allowing a natural curiosity to arise. Think of this as looking at an object with the eyes of an artist. What color is it, how does it feel, what are the dimensions and texture, and what is its story? Allow this practice to become a habit spilling over into people, places and events. This will allow your protection mechanisms to transform into curious creators.
- Facing fear: 90% of the time, I find that fear is just a toll you pay to cross over into your potential. Fear is a call to action, a reminder to live and love fully. The discomfort caused by fear is just a tool for alignment. If you find fear keeps cropping up around a big life change, take a piece of paper and a few deep breaths, and write down everything you love that led you to making this decision. Keep it with you and revisit it daily. When fear creeps in, follow these steps.
Recite your list, connecting you back to the reasons you made this choice. Taking long deep breaths and sighing heavily out. Place one hand on your heart and one on your stomach.
The body does not know the difference between a vivid memory and real life, this technique allows the body to begin to experience your list as if it’s happening, disproving the fearful impulse. The deep sigh mimics the biorhythms of the ending of distress. While placing your hand on your heart and stomach will shift the physical focus of the heart and adrenals allowing the excess energy to ground out and end the loop. When fear looks you in the face, look back and smile because this is your sign to evaluate if the past is what you want to relive and where exactly you draw the line on your potential.
In this dance with the unknown, I’ve discovered that our instinct to survive is undeniably powerful, but within it lies the dormant potential to thrive. It’s in our ability to challenge our fears with curiosity and connect with the love that drives our choices that we find true transformation.
So, as you navigate the uncharted waters of change, remember to cultivate curiosity, face fear with an open heart and stay aligned with the reasons you embarked on this journey. To help you on this path, I’m offering an Open Elevation coaching session located at the link below or simply follow the QR code. Remember your potential knows no bounds when you choose the exhilarating embrace of the unknown.
Within our survival instincts lies the hidden potential to thrive. Challenge your fears with curiosity and stay connected to the love driving your choices. To help you on this path, I’m offering a free coaching session. Embrace change, tap into your potential, and let’s explore the uncharted together.
https://azlynnberry156.lpages.co/elevation/
Connect with AzLynn: https://linktr.ee/azlynnberry
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