Fear is an illusion.

Don’t be fooled by fear.

Look it directly in the eye.

Fear distorts reality.

Fear exaggerates the truth.

Step back. Take a pause.

 Remember who you are.

You have overcome great adversity.

You have faced this phantom before.

The wolf is a mirage.

And so is fear.

Resources to help you break free:

Understanding Fear: 
Identifying Cognitive Distortions
Overcoming Fear: 
Fixing Cognitive Distortions

44 thoughts on “Fear is an illusion.”

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  1. That proverb is literally true. I am afraid of spiders and unfortunately for me and for a certain spider, one tried building a web one evening above my steering wheel while I was driving the car. The spider involved was not very big: not counting leg length, perhaps the size of a pea. And I knew regarding this species that it has only one interest: build the web, sit inside the web, wait for dinner to arrive. As misfortune would have it, not many flying insects were living inside my car so the spider’s prospects were never anything but hopeless. As for me once I saw it, I freaked out. I did safely navigate to the side of the road, but afterwards found it almost impossible to drive. I did get home at last since I’m not writing this comment at the curbside. But the spider got squished. And nobody was happy.

    I can tell you though when I first saw that spider it was HUGE. Don’t know how my brain did that, but it really looked humongous. Strange things our minds do sometimes.

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  3. Hi, I really loved your post. It was powerful, uplifting and inspiring! So meaningful!

    I am following you and looking forward to your posts! I think you may appreciate a quote I posted on my site https://thereluctantpoetweb.wordpress.com/2017/09/20/the-power-of-belief-2/ It was made by Eleanor Roosevelt. Please come visit me again!

    Oh, You might be interested in the book “Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life With Words”. The author is mainly teaching about writing poetry but also show how beneficial writing poetry is for mental healing and building confidence in k-12 and prison inmates. Read the reviews and see if it might be something of interest for you in your teaching too.
    Chuck

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  4. God says his perfect love casts out fear. The more I bathe in his presence and love for me, the less I fear. He’s more powerful than anything I might fear. Thanks for this great reminder that fear makes things (like the wolf) much bigger than he is. It makes me think of some verses in John 10 which compares Satan to a wolf who comes to steal, kill and destroy. Fear makes him look big, but looking at the reality, he’s already been defeated by Jesus! By the way, I love your phrase “Don’t be pushed by your problems, be led by your dreams.” Yes!

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    1. Awwww thank you Laura. For your kind words and for your thoughtful response. As a professor, it is so important that I am continually learning. And you have taught me much today. Especially with the specific verses. Full circle moment. Thank you for taking my post to the next level. ⭕️ 💃

      Reply

  5. I NEEDED this! My book is up for the agent round for the writing competition I’m in, Pitch Wars. I started doubting myself–even wondering if I belonged in the competition. I had to push past all that and keep walking forward. It’s not easy to push past fear, but it is worth it! ❤️

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    1. I love how you always keep it REAL Ipuna.

      Naming Fears = Taming Fears

      You’ve done the work. Just ask your family & friends how often they see you typing typing typing away on your laptop. The final stage of pitching your book is to TRUST the process.

      Fear is a lie. (Imposter syndrome be gone!)
      Your completed book is REAL. (So real!)

      Pitch Wars..
      You got this!
      💃 📖 🎉

      Reply

        1. I love how you’re writing from a young male’s perspective. So many young adult books are from a female waspy demographic. So much passion and conviction. Fresh. And so intriguing. Thank you for sharing Ipuna. Grateful. 📖💙

          Reply

  6. I absolutely LOVE this!! This made me think of another saying I love, “They threw her to the wolves and she returned leading the pack.”

    Reply

    1. Thank you for sharing Gail! These are Transcendent tools for overcoming the illusion fear.

      For me: Time outdoors, long walks, good talks, movies, running, kickboxing, teaching, and writing are some of the many ways that I break free from fear.

      Reply

  12. I think, too, that we need to pay attention to our fears and acknowledge them before we can start going beyond them. Unexamined fear may lead to paralysis or destructive decisions.

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    1. So beautifully said. And so true. The first step is to create space between “the wolf”’and ourselves. Only then will we recognize how small fear truly is. And as you say: Love trumps all.

      Reply

  17. “Fear is a lie.”: I agree, and it comes in different shades; anxiety,shame,guilt,regret,suspicion e.t.c. I think we have to learn to recognize it first. We cannot defeat that which we do not know. Nice post Dr. D.

    Reply

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