Stopping Fear and Anxiety
Most people let fear steer the wheel. I use it as a compass.
Lately, I caught myself doing it again - overthinking, spiraling, forecasting imaginary disasters. Fear had slipped back into my thinking.
But I’ve built a toolkit to kill it.
Separate Fear from Facts
Time has only three zones - past, present, future.
The past is baked. Immutable. The future is infinite, unknowable and chaotic. Trying to model every scenario is madness. The only rational place to operate from is the present.
Spend your thinking time in the present and based off facts from the past.
If you find yourself thinking about the past or the future - stop!
Build Buffers
With time, given that you provide value to the world, you should be accumulating surplus. Storing this surplus as savings and investments - aim to build buffers that give you options and pad yourself from the outside world.
Having buffers give you more confidence as you have more leeway.
Stay Grounded in Purpose
Be selfless. It’s not about you - its about the person you are providing value for.
Focus only on the person you are providing value for. What would they want? How would they want it? What would make them really happy? What would make them not happy?
Identify what would make their world sing and do it.
Your worries soon subside when you truly are focused on helping someone and making their life amazing.
Focus on providing value. As much of it as possible.
Pre-Mortem Everything
Before making those bigger decisions - think through what could go right or wrong in the decision. Analyze decisions ahead of time to see it through from all angles.
This will reduce the amount of regret after a poor decision.
What is the upside of doing X?
What is the downside of doing X?
Reframe Risk as Investment
Remember that typically with Risk comes Reward.
Business owners are rewarded for taking on Risk and achieve something of value. However it typically isn’t plain sailing.
Trying to achieve a life of no risk is not to grow and likely not to provide value to the world.
Treat the risk as an indicator of an upside. With bigger risk can come bigger reward.
Fear as a Sense
Fear usually occurs when you are doing something unfamiliar. When you are pushing your limits and growing. Fear is a scent or a hint that you are on the right direction for growth.
One can use it as a compass.
If you are not sensing fear, you are not growing.
Be aware of it not a servant to it.
Thicken Your Skin
Push your comfort zone. Regularly. Consistently. Include the things that scare you. Do them until they don’t.
Big things become small things with time and practice.
Take action - don’t let it sit around in your head. The quicker you take on the problem the quicker you get past it and you become relieved. Hit the thing that is giving you anxiety right away as you will feel instantly better.
Define Acceptable Risk and Operate in It
Plan your life with intent. No drifting. No whims. You need direction.
Having these defined will allow you to ahead of time define what you would be OK with losing or at what cost.
This give you an ahead of time reference for decision making.
Someone who is desperate for huge monetary gains may be OK with doing illicit things to achieve what they want. Someone who maybe isn’t as extreme, may not be ok doing such things.
If you define ahead of time what you want and what you would do to get it - this will be your frame of reference for what you would risk.
Physical Levers for Mental Fortitude
Exercising reduces anxiety. Walks, runs, being in nature all help massively.
Deep stress can be helped by learning to meditate.
Caffeine can make you anxious so consider reducing your levels.