Feel the fear… and make it a cup of tea?

Feel the fear and do it anyway?

How about feel the fear and wrap it in a blanket?

Read it a story?

Make it a cup of tea?

Take it on a little walk, and listen to its troubles?

Call someone you trust, and ask them to tell both you and your fears that it's going to be okay?

Or even feel the fear, and draw a picture of it?

Given how popular the phrase 'do it anyway' is, I imagine that works for a lot of people, but for me - even thinking about that just makes me kind of tired. Life is busy and fast, and getting faster all the time. Being an adult sometimes feels like an endurance marathon where someone keeps moving the finish line further and further away. Do we really need to push more, and to do things scared?

I wonder if the answer might be no, at least, not all the time. Or maybe no, not that scared.

Instead of doing things scared, what if we did them with more support?

What if we sat down and asked our scared selves what they might need, in order to feel less afraid?

Sometimes the answer is more time. Sometimes it's to talk to someone who's walked that road before. Sometimes it's to make a list of every little step, and find ways to make those small steps even smaller and more doable. Sometimes it's a hand to hold. Sometimes it's a lantern to light the way.

Sometimes the answer is just listening to the parts of us that might be fearful - sometimes they just want to know that we won't leave them behind.

Your mission for this week, should you choose to accept it, is to come up with some answers of your own.

Feel the fear… and be kind to it, and offer it some support. What might that look like for you?

Want an art journal prompt inspired by this? I have just the thing:

www.ellenmay.com.au/art-journal-prompts/feel-the-fear-and-draw-a-picture-of-it