Fear is a natural, powerful, and primitive human emotion. It involves a universal biochemical response as well as a high individual emotional response. Fear alerts us to the presence of danger or the threat of harm, whether that danger is physical or psychological. (https://www.verywellmind.com/the-psychology-of-fear-2671696#:~:text=Fear%20is%20a%20natural%2C%20powerful,danger%20is%20physical%20or%20psychological.)

Some fears we talk freely about – our fears of spiders, heights, or clowns. Others we hide. So today I’m sharing one of my deepest fears.

Being “dumped”. Or more accurately, the idea of being alone but not by my own choice.

I am an introvert through and through. I love being alone, however, I want to be alone on my own terms. I want to be able to choose when I’m alone.

What I’m talking about is being alone because those around me leave. Whether it’s friends or lovers, when someone leaves my life, I struggle. Even when people leave my life on “bad” terms, I still struggle. I still hurt. I still grieve. Whether it’s something I did or not doesn’t matter. I am terrified that those that I let in are going to leave me. Whether it’s my hubby or my best friend or someone I just met…I am terrified that when the learn about me, they will leave me.

I would like to say that the people who know me won’t leave me, but that is the thing about fear… they don’t have to make sense.

So rather than thinking of this fear in this scary, phobia-like way, how can I think of fear in a way that challenges my way of thinking?
FEAR – Face Everything And Rise
FEAR – False Evidence Appearing Real

Wow…how can I put my fear of people leaving into these outlooks of FEAR?

What is your fear? How can you change your outlook to use your fears as a platform for growth?