Do you know what fear feels like in your body?
Can you describe the physical sensation? I am sure most of us can remember a moment or incident when our bodies were enveloped by fear. But many of us are unaware of the fear / worry / anxiety we carry – and many of us carry that low level chronic hard ball of tightness everyday. Close your eyes, can you name where it sits in your body? For me it sits at the top of my stomach, just below my ribs. In the past there were periods of time when that sensation was my constant companion. It is when it takes up residence again that I am aware of how familiar it feels and of how long I carried it. I am thankful fear doesn’t claim that body spot in the same way today.
This journey of “heart words” began with the question – “what would life look like if I lived from my heart?” I wrote down “conquer fear.” How is that a heart word? I believe it is because living WITH fear closes our hearts. The tight knot tightens our bodies. It causes us to become tense and be protective of our physical body, our emotions, spirit and heart. Our defensive posture creates walls that close us off from the world – externally and internally.
Heart words such as trust, hope, joy, and letting go must be experienced from a place of openness. They are not experienced in defensiveness. Relaxing and surrendering in my physical body causes a release in my mind where my worries and anxieties originate. Try it. You can’t release the physical knot without changing your state of mind.The tight knot in my belly is conquered when my heart is in charge. The hardness melts into something else when I choose peace or joy or hope.
Living from my heart, fear is conquered.
Take the Step 