Marian Buck Murray

EFT and IFS for Sensitive, Creative People. Empower yourself self-compassion and deep understanding.

4 Steps to Stop Fear in Its Tracks

by Leave a Comment

Woman finger pushing domino of red fear word falling, isolated on white.

Fear.  I know it well.  As a solopreneur, I frequently face fear when I think about what I can do to grow my business. Fear can easily stop me from taking productive action —  if I let it.

Whatever type of work you do, whether it’s for your job, your business, your home, your family, or your creative life, fear can have the power to stop you in your tracks.  It might stop you from starting a creative project, or exploring a new opportunity.  It might hold you back from promoting yourself and your business.  It might keep you stuck and unable to move forward.

Whichever way fear gets in your way, it’s important to take steps to manage your fear, before it has the chance to stop you.

Here are 4 Steps to Stop Fear in Its Tracks, before it stops you.

Step 1 Recognize when you’re in fear, or hiding from fear.  Recognize what fear does to your body and mind. Recognize how it tries to influence your actions.  Once you’ve recognized your fear, get as clear as you can about the target of your fear, in other words, what are you really afraid of?

(BTW– Fear loves to hide, read more about  its 3 favorite hiding places. )

Step 2 Embrace your fear.  The majority of fear comes from past experiences.  One of my clients is a talented singer, but was fearful of singing in public.  This was a result of a childhood experience when someone made fun of her. By embracing the younger, very disappointed place within her, she was able to release her fear.  She now performs regularly on a variety of stages.

So next time you’re feeling fearful about doing something bigger and bolder, embrace yourself with compassion.  Allow yourself to sense the younger part of yourself that may have felt afraid or hurt in a similar situation.  You may notice that a mix of emotions come up.

Step 3  Release the Fear.  EFT Tapping is a quick, effective way to release fear.  Anything that helps to lower cortisol, such as deep breathing, yoga, and meditation will also help. Below, at the bottom of this post, you’ll find a brief tapping EFT audio to help you release fear.

Step 4  Activate Your Courage.  The final step in the 4-step process is to activate your courage.  Once  you’ve used a technique such as EFT to release your fear, you’ll feel more relaxed.  This is the best time to take action.  Taking action will help you develop your courage.

Right now, decide on 2-3 small action steps you will take in the next week to help you move forward.  Get your momentum going, and your courage will grow.

Below is the Tapping for Fear audio. This audio includes a brief EFT tapping round to help you release fear around a creative or business-related project.   If you’re new to EFT Tapping,  click here for illustrated instructions.

 

 

In Courage,

Marian

FREE TRAINING:  Overcome the Fear of Shining in Your Business So You can Do What You Love. Click here for download.

The Real Reason You’re Stuck

by Leave a Comment

small cat stuck in a tree
Stuck in Fear

Truth be told, I’m the queen of stuck. I’ve been stuck so many times, so many ways, it’s amazing I’m even writing this blog.

It sucks to be stuck.

I judge it, I hate it, I call it bad.

But stuck is stuck for a reason.  There’s always something there.

When I’m stuck,  and I manage to stop judging myself,  I usually notice a bunch of uncomfortable feelings and beliefs simmering just beneath the surface.

So often it boils down to fear.

Fear of not knowing what to do. Fear of doing the wrong thing. Fear of mistakes. Fear of rejection. Fear that I won’t have what it takes. And that old persistent fear of shining.

It’s when I stop to listen to my feelings that I can take steps to release them.

That’s when I use EFT Tapping, or Heart Breath, or guided visualization, to help me clear old patterns of fear and restriction.

When I clear what holds me back, I feel free to move forward.

Next time you feel stuck, take a moment to go inside, and notice what you’re feeling. Notice what you’re telling yourself. Notice what seems to be in your way.

Once you’re clear about what’s going on inside, use a technique such as EFT, or work with an EFT Practitioner, or therapist,  to clear unwanted feelings and beliefs.

When you’re clear of old stuck emotions and limiting patterns, you’ll feel much more confident, and inspired, to move forward.

Marian

Click here for a complimentary Heart Breath Audio.

Click here to apply for a complimentary 30-Minute Unleash Your Creative Genius Clarity Call.

 

4 Steps to Conquer Procrastination

by 2 Comments

Procrastination Word Cloud Concept on a 3D cube WhiteboardProcrastination.

We all do it.  Believe me, I KNOW how easy it is to avoid the things I absolutely MUST do.

Sometimes I procrastinate because I have a million ideas swirling around in my head, and I just don’t know where to start.

Then there’s my to-do list– weighed-down with those pesky undone tasks that never get checked off the list.  I can feel it getting heavier by the minute.

To be honest, I’m so good at procrastinating that I needed to follow my own tips when it came to writing this blog.

Here they are:  4 steps to conquer procrastination.  Apply whenever you’re feeling stuck. Rinse and repeat….

1. Get Clear— It’s hard to get things done when you’re not clear about what needs doing. In order to get clear, it’s crucial to reduce anxiety and tension. Anxiety and tension will muddle your mind — high cortisol (major stress hormone) drains blood from the thinking part of your brain.

  • Meditate before tackling big projects. Meditation will help calm and focus your mind.
  • Try deep breathing, yoga, or EFT Tapping to reduce stress and anxiety.
  • Work from a space of relaxed, focused energy to boost clarity and efficiency.

2. Clear Resistance — Even when you KNOW what you need to do, you might be avoiding it. Often, resistance occurs when we feel like something is too hard, or too complicated. To help clear resistance, make it easier for yourself. Here are some suggestions:

  • Create a short list of tasks and schedule them.
  • Divide complex tasks into easier small steps.
  • When working on a task, eliminate distractions to promote easy focus.
  • Set a timer for an allotted amount of time. Stop working when the timer goes off.

3. Clear Fear – Fears of failure, rejection, or even success, can sabotage efforts to achieve your goals. Here are tips to help you increase your confidence.

  • Stay present, and focus on one step at a time. Focus will help diminish, or even eliminate, fear.
  • Embrace mistakes, and know you will learn from them.
  • Bring to mind your unique reasons for accomplishing your goals – let go of what others think.
  • Use EFT Tapping to clear feelings of fear. Contact me to learn more.

4. Tap Into Your Flow – Increase feelings of self-trust and competence to accomplish your to-do list more easily. Here are some suggestions.

  • Bring to mind the good feelings from previous accomplishments. Start from this place of positive energy.
  • Visualize yourself accomplishing your task. Imagine how good it will feel.
  • Build momentum by knocking off a series of small tasks.
  • Use empowering affirmations. (I know I can do this. I’m smart. I have talent..)  Try this with EFT Tapping, for more powerful results.

Above all, have compassion for yourself.  Any form of procrastination is a call for deeper understanding and acceptance of yourself.  This doesn’t mean giving in to procrastination.  It means acknowledging your feelings, and helping yourself release them.

Once you’re clear of old fears and resistance, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can move forward.

Click here for access to a free Mp3 “Getting Unstuck” with guided tapping to help you get unstuck and get started.  If you’d like to go deeper with EFT to conquer your procrastination, contact me.

Be Well!

Marian