Face your Fears!

As I sit looking out to the blizzard that is taking hold outside, I’m already getting that nagging feeling in my stomach. You know, the dread that after it dumps 12 inches of snow I’ll be forced to venture out in my Eskimo suit to face my fear of driving in the snow to work. My friends even make fun of me for being their personal meteorologist because I always know at least three days in advance if I’ll have to drive in the stupid snow. These thoughts have led me to the idea of fear. It seems like I’ve become quite a chicken as I think of all of the things that I am afraid of. These include but are not limited to:

·         The dark

·         Spiders

·         Snakes

·         Death by shark bite

·         Riding my bike not on a designated bike path

·         Heights

·         Birds

·         Airplanes when they are getting ready to land (ironically I’m fine during take off)

·         Being sick or injured

Where did all of these irrational fears come from? I can totally persuade myself that the chances of Jaws attacking me is pretty minimal in my landlocked location, however even a picture of a snake gives me the shivers. What creates this feeling inside of us? And furthermore, how is it that so many of us have similar fears?

I wish I had some sort of advice for how to overcome these fears, but as it turns out this wuss is pretty unhelpful in this area. I spent my last snowy commute quoting Home Alone when Kevin runs out of his house  to yell only to find the scary snow shovel guy. “Hey! I’m not afraid anymore! I said, I’m not afraid anymore!” It seemed to work as I got to work on time and feeling confident with my slick driving skills. Perhaps there is more to this positive affirmation business then I give it credit for. So if the next time you see me staring at a flock of birds and screaming that I’m not afraid of them anymore, just know that’s what I’m doing. Cheers to facing your fears!