Do you remember the last time you felt real fear? Were you in danger? What was it about? Do you remember how you felt inside? Where the fear originated in your body? The last time I felt real fear I was in danger. I was on a run and came across a mountain lion.

I knew the mountain lion could rip me to shreds and end my life at that very moment, and so my fear was valid.  I could die. We, as human beings are hardwired to live. So when we are in danger we feel are afraid. Afraid of a future that does not even exist yet. The mountain lion was preoccupied when it first appeared in my line of vision, but the second I laid eyes on it, my heart started pounding and my mind became flooded with visions of my own death. Time began to stand still. It seemed like hours as I stood there visualizing myself getting shredded alive. I simply could not stay in the present moment. Fear acts like a dark cloud hovering over our minds. And our minds are complex. We are designed to survive if we can just get out of our own way in enough time to utilize our inherent gifts. So what did I do? I snapped to it. I realized I did not time to be afraid of an unknown future. I had to act. I need to be present. It was time to utilize my surroundings and my mind in order to survive. I could have let fear paralyze me. And it would have been easy to do. Paralyze me into thoughts that were not even valid or real. And the reason we even feel fear is because our minds are so capable of projecting into the future.   Possible scenarios. Outcomes. What ifs... You see where I'm going? If you're trying to survive being hunted down by a mountain lion or whether you're going to be able to survive tax season or a break-up, you've got to live in the here and now. It's an EPIC waste of time being anywhere else. So here I was again. Right smack in the middle of my run. My fear thought told me to back up slowly. My mind told me to turn around and run like never before making my steps ninja light. So I did. I turned around. Making my my imprints to the ground as light as possible. I noticed my body becoming light as a feather. My desire to live was becoming bigger than my fear of death and as I ran it was as if an invisible shield grew around me and protected me until I was home. I learned a big lesson that day. Fear lives within each one of us but we have a choice whether to let it rule us. I'm not denying that dangers exist. My danger was imminent and real. But thinking about the "what ifs" as my mind drifted into visions that did not have to become my reality would have hurt me a lot more. Here are a few ideas on how to combat fear if you find it residing inside of you: 1). STAY IN THE PRESENT The future does not exist yet. Your thoughts and projections into a future aren't real. Stay in the present, in-tuned to your senses and use your mind. You are hard-wired to survive. There is an unconscious aspect of your being that inherently knows what to do. 2). USE YOUR SENSES AND YOUR INTUITION What do you smell? What do you see? What do you feel? What do you taste? What do you hear? And if you're not out in the wilderness trying to survive, use your senses at home. In our modern world, it is so easy to disconnect from our awareness, our intuition and our gut. What is your gut telling you to do? You know the truth. It lives within you. 3). BELIEVE IN YOURSELF So much of our fear has to do with how we perceive ourselves and our strengths. If you believe in yourself, you can accomplish anything. If you doubt yourself, you will not succeed. You are what you believe, so even if it seems crazy to believe you can outrun a mountain lion, or survive a flood, a devastating divorce or a run in with the IRS, believe it. Belief is power. I have just given you 3 outstanding tips to overcome fear. What are you afraid of? How have you overcome fear? I would love to hear from you. Please leave your comments in the box below. If you found this post informative or useful please share it with friends. Post it on FB, Pinterest, or Tweet it. XO, Hayley