In my life, there have been so many sleepless nights. So many stories that have sent me spiraling. So many times, where I let fear sneakily creep into my life. I have given fear too much of a voice in my life. But through it all, I have learned practical ways to take hold of fear.
Having gone through years of constantly battling fear and working diligently to stay peaceful and rested, I have added a few tools to my toolbelt to combat fear. I want to share them with you, so that you too can live in a place of rest and peace.
The thing about these tools is they do not offer a quick or easy fix to eliminating fear. You need to learn how to use the tools. It is like playing a violin. At first it is really awkward. Your arm is bent different and you feel strange. You are not really sure if you’re playing it right at all. And then, with time and practice, you will begin to get the hang of it.
Tool No. 1: Simplify Your Life
I have found in my own life, that I need to nip the areas where fear and anxiety come from right in the bud. I need to turn off the news and put boundaries on my social media. Never once after scrolling social media for a while, have I walked away and felt super refreshed. Actually, more often than not, I feel worse than when I started. Ironically enough, I saw a tweet the other day and it was just too funny and true not to share…
“I think I am finally going to delete social media and make the switch back to organic anxiety.”
Minimizing venues for anxiety to enter is such a simple and practical way to take hold of fear. I would definitely say this is the first step to making fear less in your life. Stop letting so much of it in.
Tool No. 2: Stay Mindful
The devil loves when you begin to listen to the voice of fear. It starts slow, but if you begin to listen, your mind will run wild. And it is much harder to take hold of it, when it feels so overbearing.
While I was reading the book Hinds Feet on High Places (You can read my top takeaways from the book here), there were so many moments when the Shepherd ask the main character, Much-Afraid, “Why did you let fear into the house?” or “Why did you even pause to listen to the voice of fear?” or “Why did you allow fear to grab hold of your hand?” The Shepherd cares so much for her and he is just making her aware of the truth, that no good can possibly come from allowing fear to speak into her life.
Usually, when I notice I am becoming afraid, I try and give it as little attention as possible. I need to stop my mind from running wild and acknowledge what is true. Here is a really simple and practical way to take hold of fear. You will find it is so grounding. It takes you out of your current mindset and from thinking about the worst that could happen to focusing on what is actually happening now.
Here is how it works:
First you acknowledge that you are feeling afraid. “hmm, I am noticing I am feeling afraid”
Then, you run through all your senses and become mindful that there is no real reason to be afraid right now. It looks something like this:
*Take a deep breath* “Okay, I see I am in a cozy room with blankets and pillows, soft lighting, and a beautiful view of the sunset outside my window.
I hear my family talking in the other room and the quiet buzz of the air conditioning.
I smell the lavender candle burning on the table.
I feel the cozy blanket on my lap, and the carpet on my feet.
I taste the chamomile tea, I’m drinking.
*Take a deep breath* I have no reason to be afraid or worried right now.”
Take your thoughts captive. Stay mindful. And fight to stay in that peaceful state of mind.
Tool No. 3: Speak Out Against Fear and Read Scripture
This is another super practical way to take hold of fear. I started doing this a few years back and I found it would give me so much peace. It is simply just taking authority and saying fear doesn’t get to speak into my life but, God’s Word does.
I started collecting bible verse that brought me peace or that spoke out against the power of fear. It was simple. I created a note in my notes app and called it Fighting Verses. Over time, God would show me new verses that I loved and I would quickly add it to the list. And the next time fear came, I could read through these verses and it would bring me a strong sense of peace and a reminder of truth. Replace the lies of fear with a new word, God’s truth.
Here is a Fighting Verses Starter Kit for you:
- Ephesians 6:10-18
- Philippians 4:6-8
- Psalm 90:1-91:16
- 2 Corinthians 10:5
- Psalm 4:1-8
- 2 Timothy 1:7
These are just a few. Look up the verses and copy and paste the full verse into your own notes app. And then keep your eye out for any new verses that bring you peace. Make this list customized and special to you and what God is doing in your life.
Tool No. 4: Worship
When I am afraid, I have to acknowledge, believe, and trust that my God is bigger and stronger than any situation.
The power of worshiping has always been so intriguing to me! And this power can be seen so clearly, when dealing with fear. Recognizing that God is good, faithful, and almighty, will slowly begin to minimize any and all fear. So, whether that looks like playing worship music in your air pods or sitting in quiet prayer… If you fully believe your God is greater, than what can stand against you. Sometimes, you just need a little reminder of his greatness 😉
My hope for this blog is that you would take these few tools and just simply keep them in your tool belt. And maybe next time you notice fear sneaking in and disrupting your peace, you would practice just one tool. It is a learning process and it takes time. Oh but don’t worry, you will have plenty of opportunities to practice these tools. That’s the funny thing with fear… it doesn’t just leave for good. It always seems to find other ways to creep in.
If you found this blog helpful or it gave you new insight, leave a comment below or share your best tricks for dealing with fear… I would love to hear them!
