Can you tell the difference between the the feeling of fear that takes over your body like when you are on the edge of a cliff looking at the valley below or the gripping of your gut when you are about to ask someone new out on a date? These two feelings might resemble each other yet they are not the same. We often confuse them.

Lately I have been feeling my gut tighten when I have been thinking about certain situations. So how and when do we know if we should be fearful of a potential situation or if we need to push through because it is a comfort issue?

Take a moment to sit with yourself, place your hand on your heart and take in a few deep cleansing breathes. Close your eyes and go inward. Feel your heart beating. Trust in your heart to give you the right answer. Look at the event or situation from your heart’s perspective. What is holding you back? What might you be avoiding? How would doing this or not, feel? What is the worse case scenario?

If there is mistrust in another person or if there has been a pattern of hurt from the person involved in this situation you may simply be wanting to protect yourself. We learn to close parts of us off, especially our hearts. But if it is a new situation and could be exciting or interesting we simply may need to push ourselves to get out of our comfort zone. There you have your answer, push through!

Trust that the Universe has your back. You are protected and guided for your own good. Let go of trying to control every step of your journey. I was a control freak for many years of my life. Perfectionism and control were my allies but really they were my jailors. I needed to feel safe so I tried to control so much of my life. In doing so I limited the joy of living. Who was I fooling? Life is unpredictable therefore you can’t control all situations. I feared being out of control but I needed to surrender in order to release control so things would happen organically. Once I did big and beautiful shifts occurred.

So take a moment, slow yourself down and figure out if you simply need to push yourself into the unknown in order to challenge yourself and grow or if in fact there is a valid reason to be fearful.

“There are times when fear is good. It must keep its watchful place at the heart’s controls.”

Aeschylus