Fear is the body’s natural response to impending danger. We all experience it in some form, but it manifests differently in everyone. For some, it’s easier to, “do it scared,” while others resort to complacency until circumstances force a reaction. But as a Rooted Woman, we support you in understanding where your fears come from, how they show up in you, and how to prevent them from paralyzing you.
The Common Roots of Fear
According to an article on Psychology Today, there are five universal types of fear:
- fear of death
- fear of bodily harm or invasion
- fear of being powerless (losing control)
- fear of rejection
- fear of humiliation
These fears form due to things we’ve seen and experienced, and are stored away in our brain as trauma. They yield a physical and emotional reaction when triggered.
What does fear look like physically for you?
Fear can show up physically in the form of panic attacks and anxiety disorders. But more often, it’s as subtle as indigestion, pain and stiffness in the body, or even restlessness. For example, do you ever notice differences in your body functions when you’re stressed? Or, have you ever felt extra tired when you’re dealing with a difficult situation? You may not even realize there’s a correlation, but your body could be warning you about a fear trigger. So instead of ignoring it, we encourage you to take a deeper look inward.
What does fear feel like for you?
Sometimes, fear exposes itself through different feelings and emotions, including anger, frustration or feeling overwhelmed, or even numbness. Through careful self-assessment, you may learn that some of the things you do and say subconsciously are rooted in self-protection, as a natural response to one of the fears we discussed earlier. One example would be a person referring to themselves as “introverted” when they love people; they fear being accepted. Another person may call themselves a “perfectionist” when they are afraid of making a mistake and being humiliated.
Take time to write down some of the emotions you experience often, as well as the conclusions you’ve drawn about yourself lately. Then, ask yourself why. Of course, not all actions are rooted in fear, but if you’re honest, you may be able to pinpoint trauma roots in some of them. From there, you can start a healing journey towards freedom.
Ask for help.
You may need someone else’s perspective to understand how fear shows up in you. Asking for help may be scary in itself, but we don’t believe such delicate introspection has to happen alone. Getting to the root of your fears is a deep journey. Talk to someone who can guide you through the process and give you resources to handle anything revealed to you. If you need help finding a good therapist, check out this blog post.
