One of the biggest questions for the two of us right now during this Covid epidemic, and maybe for you as well, is…
How much “normal” activity do we engage in and what do we avoid for fear of getting the virus?
Are the reservations we have unfounded fear or common sense?
Every June or July, Susie takes a trip with her sister who lives two hours from her and cousins who live in another state.
She calls it her “Cousin Club” adventure.
Sometimes they go to a beach and sometimes they just go to one of the cousin’s house and chill out.
This year, Susie nixed a group trip to a beach because of fear of catching the virus and has been seriously wondering if spending time at her cousin’s house is a good idea or not.
In trying to make this decision, she’s wondered if it’s her fearful thinking that’s keeping her from saying “yes” to the trip…
Or is it her common sense and wisdom telling her to stay home.
Susie’s reservations are certainly not unique because of this virus, especially in the USA…
And it also happens in all parts of our lives, especially in our relationships.
There are two kinds of fear that we humans seem to have…
- One kind tells you not to put your hand on a hot stove because you’ve experienced burning yourself before and you are in danger if you do.
- And then there’s the other kind of fear that tells you…
“I don’t wanna tell the truth because she won’t like it and she’ll leave me”…
“I can’t tell him how I really feel because he won’t listen”…
“I don’t want to accept the fact that I have cancer because if I do, my life is over”…
“I’m afraid to put myself out there in the world because of what people might think”…
“I’m afraid to go for my dreams because I might fail again.”
The first kind of fear, the kind that tells you not the put your hand on a hot stove is innate, a built-in protection we have to keep us safe.
The made-up examples we just shared of the second kind of fear are the stories we tell ourselves that aren’t true at all unless we believe they are true.
The problem with believing these kind of stories and living your life from them is that they keep you stuck, keep you limited and keep you from living the full expression of your divinity in human form.
You don’t want to live that way. We certainly don’t.
Opening to love in bigger and bigger ways is our nature and you can’t do that if you’re letting fear run the show in your life.
So the question becomes this…
“Is this fear coming from common sense and something I need to pay attention to for my well-being or am I making up and believing a fearful story that’s keeping love away?”
Here’s what we’ve realized about telling the difference…
Instead of listening to a fearful story in your head over and over, allow your mind to settle.
It might settle if you go about some activity or it might settle if you sit quietly.
When you’re calmer, your wisdom or common sense will come through maybe as a feeling or a knowing that a certain course of action is the one to take–maybe it’s just one little step.
Susie gave herself the gift of not reacting and making a decision about her “Cousin Club” Adventure until it became clear what was right for her.
You don’t have to make decisions on the spot, especially when there’s fearful thinking involved.
In fact, it’s not wise to do that.
Begin to trust the true voice that’s inside you to guide you to loving yourself and others more of the time.
It’s just takes a little practice to hear it!