Fear - What scared you this year more than anything else? Did you learn anything new about yourself?
I wrote about this back when I first came home from traveling and living abroad. I wrote about my anxieties and fears of coming home after so long away. So that is still my answer!
Coming home scared me more this year than anything else. Sure there were scary moments while traveling, like going out into the desert on a camel and staying over night in a village in India close to the Pakistan border worried I may be taken as a wife without knowing it, or being threatened with a crowbar by a taxi driver in Vietnam...but the fear of the unknowns attached to coming home far outweighed the fear of becoming a villagers wife or being beaten with a crowbar.
What I learned about myself in my very scary transition home was three fold. Firstly, I learned that I grow far too anxious about things I have no control over. I create all of these "what ifs" in my head, and really the only answer to the "what ifs" is "so what...if that does happen, I'll still live."
Secondly, I learned that although some of my worries did come true, that there are always very positive things that arise as well. So instead of worrying about all the potential negatives I should focus more on the potential positives.
Lastly, I learned that being fearful and anxious about things in the future is extremely unproductive and even damaging. The fear of the 'what ifs' creates stress and tension, and most certainly decreases joy and happiness. Hopefully I will remember this reflection and remind myself to concentrate on the present moment, and not overly concern myself with the 'what ifs' of the future.
Coming home scared me more this year than anything else. Sure there were scary moments while traveling, like going out into the desert on a camel and staying over night in a village in India close to the Pakistan border worried I may be taken as a wife without knowing it, or being threatened with a crowbar by a taxi driver in Vietnam...but the fear of the unknowns attached to coming home far outweighed the fear of becoming a villagers wife or being beaten with a crowbar.
What I learned about myself in my very scary transition home was three fold. Firstly, I learned that I grow far too anxious about things I have no control over. I create all of these "what ifs" in my head, and really the only answer to the "what ifs" is "so what...if that does happen, I'll still live."
Secondly, I learned that although some of my worries did come true, that there are always very positive things that arise as well. So instead of worrying about all the potential negatives I should focus more on the potential positives.
Lastly, I learned that being fearful and anxious about things in the future is extremely unproductive and even damaging. The fear of the 'what ifs' creates stress and tension, and most certainly decreases joy and happiness. Hopefully I will remember this reflection and remind myself to concentrate on the present moment, and not overly concern myself with the 'what ifs' of the future.
"Whoever can see through all fear will always be safe". ~Tao Te Ching
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