Overcome negativity and fear by facing one thing

Today I challenge myself to go for a run. Anyone that knows me knows that I love running. Why was it a challenge for me today?

Because I was feeling tired, and I didn’t want to go by myself. I enjoy running with friends, but I didn’t have any company today.

My mind started to go into all the negatives to validate why it was a bad idea to go today for a run. “ Today, it’s super cold.” “Your good running tights for colder weather are dirty.” “You should get on with your errands and your car is out of gas….”

Most of the time, fear stops us from developing resilience. Once our mind thinks that there is an opportunity for discomfort and challenges, it immediately looks for more. It finds more reasons to validate why it is a bad idea to do something.

How do we train for resilience? We feel the fear, and we still do it. Instead of letting my mind continue with all the negatives forecasting, I stop thinking, and I move into action.

Here are some simple steps that I like to follow to break my negative thinking and build more resilience.

Pause

Don’t let the mind keep building a negative story. Stop what you are doing. Sit, close your eyes, and breathe for a minute.

Reconnect with your goals

Think about what is the goal of what you are trying to do? Think about the value and how going ahead will help you be closer to life goals and improve your wellbeing.

Challenge the mind

Take to yourself. “ Do You think you know better? Most of the time, your fears are off track. I’m not going to let fear stop me. Yes, I’m tired, but I’m going to try and see how I do.”

Settle for less

Be ok with a smaller goal. Break down your challenge and figure out how to achieve a tiny target. In my situation, a short run or maybe jus an outdoor walk.

Examine what happened

After going for the run, as always, things went better than my fears where predicting. Yes, I was alone. Yes, it was cold. Yes, I had to put gas and got delayed, but the benefits surpassed my expectations.

I had great run-walk. The sun was out, and the trails were dry. It was amazing to run with the sun on my face. I met a lovely family, and I helped them by taking some pictures. I felt energized and ready to tackle the day.

Face your fears, learn resilience, and just do it.

One quote

“Do one thing every day that scares you.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

One question

What fear are you ready to overcome today?