Written by: Virin Gomber, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
We all experience fear in almost every aspect of our daily lives. Be it in your personal or professional life, you are bound to come face to face with a variety of fears, such as fear of conflict with your family, friends or boss, fear of failing an exam, fear of failing a job interview, fear of rejection by the opposite sex, fear of business losses, and so on. One of these or more fears creep into our minds daily, and this monster prevents us from sleeping peacefully at night.
As with a physical infection, you take medication to treat it; similarly, fear is a psychological infection that can benefit from psychological solutions. Some insights into human behavior indicate that fear is caused by worry, tension, panic, anxiety, procrastination, indecision, to name a few reasons. These factors encircle us and drag us down into a life of failures and disappointments.
Mindfulness has been identified as a sustainable solution to deal with and eliminate fear, as well as build confidence to manage any ongoing fears.
The Effect of Fear on The Quality of Life
Fear trains us to ‘react’ in the face of danger. When we detect a potential threat, our bodies release hormones that slow down or turn off functions not required for immediate survival (such as our digestive system).
It improves the tasks that could help us survive (such as vision). Our heart rate rises and blood flows to our muscles, allowing us to run faster. Our bodies also increase the flow of hormones to the amygdala, a part of the brain that helps us focus on the present danger and remember it, and is responsible for the fight or flight response.
Fear can disrupt brain processes that allow us to regulate emotions, read nonverbal cues and other information presented to us, reflect before acting, and act ethically. It has a negative impact on our thinking and decision-making, leaving us vulnerable to intense emotions and impulsive reactions. All of these effects can impair our ability to act appropriately.
Long-term overwhelm and anxiety from fears can lead to severe mental health issues such as sleeping disorders, clinical depression, anxiety, and various other problems. These conditions are also accompanied by the previously mentioned physical and emotional interferences.
Fear not only harms your body and emotions but can also harm the hippocampus, which is responsible for converting information into long-term memories and regulating our emotions in collaboration with the limbic system. Fear can be like ruts on a dirt track that our minds can't seem to get out of.
Why is Confidence Important?
Confidence is believing in yourself, being at ease in your skin, and knowing your worth. It’s proven that confidence is attractive, brings success, aids in connecting with others, boosts performance and makes you feel generally happier.
In general, confidence helps you feel prepared for the challenges of life. You are more likely to move forward with people and opportunities when you are confident. It allows you to try again if something doesn't work out the first time.
Being more confident does not guarantee that you will not fail. You will, and you may fail repeatedly. But you'll know you can handle any challenges that come your way, and you won't be paralyzed by fear because you'll realize that even when things don't go your way, you can handle it.
You will understand that failure and mistakes lead to growth as you continue to push yourself to try new things. Because you're taking more shots instead of waiting for the perfect play, you're more likely to succeed if you're willing to fail.
Ways to Transforming your Fear into Confidence Using Mindfulness
Whether the fearful thoughts that trigger anxiety are rational or irrational, your body reacts to them with physical sensations: your pulse quickens, face flushes, or your stomach lurches. This, in turn, feeds your anxious thoughts, and then you are caught in a negative cycle of fear.
Mindfulness can help by breaking this mind-body cycle. A research paper from trends in psychiatry and psychotherapy shows that mindfulness is an effective strategy for the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, and is effective in therapy protocols with different structures including virtual modalities. Through mindfulness meditation, we train the mind to stay in the present moment, notice an anxious thought as it arises, and let it go.
Here are some steps you can use to transform your fears into confidence using Mindfulness:
1. Noting
We gently acknowledge what is arising by identifying and noting thoughts and feelings during meditation. Consider a feather gently touching a fine crystal glass because that is how gently we take note of something. After recording a thought or feeling, there is a sense of having dealt with it, making it easier to let it go and return to our focus.
Also, take note of self-criticism and doubt. Try to be curious about these thoughts and observe them without adding a story or getting caught up in them. Remember, you did not create these ideas. You can't predict or know what your next thought will be.
2. Building physical awareness
Physical awareness is another technique to get a grip on your fears. A guided meditation for fear and anxiety can help you step out of your thoughts and focus your attention on the body in a fight-or-flight situation when panic strikes. When you become more present in your body, you effectively short-circuit that fear response, causing you to feel calmer.
Look at where you physically feel these thoughts or emotions as well. Become interested in the sensations and observe them. It will help you build resilience and avoid getting caught up in these thoughts. When your mind wanders, or you become lost in these thoughts, return your attention to your breath.
3. Elevating your mood
Try a mindfulness meditation practice that elevates your spirit into a positive one to boost your confidence. How you frame things and the intentions you bring to a task can impact the outcome.
You can't expect high-quality work if you're about to embark on a project that makes you feel cynical. If you're about to spar with an opponent but are distracted by an argument from the night before, you won't be able to perform to your full potential.
You can try practicing ‘loving-kindness’ meditation to change and improve your mental state. ‘Loving-kindness’ is a simple practice of instilling feelings of love and compassion in yourself and others by visualizing and wishing well. It may sound esoteric, but such an intentional positive thinking is a simple way to produce good mood hormones.
4. Practicing Visualization
Many professionals, such as athletes and actors, use visualization as a form of mindful meditation to boost their confidence before a stressful performance. If you're looking for good practice, to begin with, this is also how to teach meditation to children.
It's not magical or mystical in any way. All you're doing is visualizing the best possible outcome. When you lack confidence, you tend to repeat and think about the worst-case scenario.
Meditation through visualization is a far more productive and beneficial approach in such cases. To begin, close your eyes and sit on a cushion or chair. Take a comfortable position and take a few deep breaths before relaxing your breath.
Next, imagine yourself doing and completing the task in which you currently lack confidence. It could involve a presentation or public speaking. It could be a stage performance in front of an audience. Ensure you see yourself doing this with complete confidence. Visualize your face and your body language if you did this confidently. Think about how you might feel as you complete this task with ease. Consider your best-case scenario and play it out in your head.
5. Giving your fears a shot
To start with, sit on a comfortable chair or cushion with your back upright, maintaining a comfortable upright posture. Next, gently close your eyes. From here, imagine the worst outcome possible for what you're looking to build some confidence for. Allow yourself to observe this play out without any attachment. Act as if you're watching a movie. Don't allow yourself to step into the screen.
From here, begin to exaggerate the events of this worst-case scenario. See how bad you can make it. Notice how you feel or the thoughts that build up. Be gentle with yourself here, and don't allow yourself to judge these thoughts and feelings.
Taking yourself through this experience will instill a sense of ‘knowing’ your fears, which eventually will weaken the ‘uncertainty’ factor associated with that fear.
[Caution: Avoid using this method for any intense fears and anxieties. Use this only for low-level fears]
Confidence is a Choice
It is helpful if you consciously make a choice to build actual self-assurance on a solid foundation of self-awareness. This level of self-awareness allows you to understand your strengths and weaknesses on a personal level. This will eventually lead to a better understanding of your own self.
You'll also condition your mind to no longer judge those limitations by practicing non-judgmental observation. Instead, you'll begin to accept them, and eventually, you'll be able to use your limitations as strengths. This clear understanding leads to effortless and subtly powerful self-confidence.
Disclaimer: The suggestions in this article do not reflect any particular diagnosis or course of treatment. They are meant as a tool to provide you new perspectives. If you have any further concerns about your current well-being, you may contact your GP or a medical specialist.
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Virin Gomber, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Virin Gomber is a leading Mindfulness Success Coach, Speaker, and Author.
Following a successful corporate career that left him with stress and burnout, he learned, created, and mastered highly effective Mindfulness strategies to boost his balance and personal performance. Since then, he has integrated Quantum Physics, Neuroscience, and Positive Psychology principles to craft a unique blend for his Mindfulness success system.
Dedicated to helping people become top achievers, the core of his work is with entrepreneurs, CEOs, professionals, and driven individuals to support them to achieve peak performance, balance and happiness.
He offers more than a decade of Success Coaching, corporate training, and 25+ years of Mindfulness experience.
Virin has co-authored an Amazon bestseller, “The Missing Piece in Self Love,” appeared on TV shows, and contributed to numerous global online magazines.
His ‘WHY’: To empower people to create accomplished personal skills to achieve next-level success and happiness.
References:
The positive effects of Mindfulness on self-esteem https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271904180_The_positive_effects_of_mindfulness_on_ self-esteem
How To Overcome Low Self-Esteem With Mindfulness https://happyproject.in/overcome-low-self-esteem-mindfulness/
