EMPOWERED Mind: Overcoming Fear, Stress and Anxiety

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What is your mission? What do you want to accomplish? 

Example Answer:

Reduce the panic, flooding thoughts, and physical symptoms of Anxiety

Name the emotion you are feeling. What is causing the emotion you're feeling now? Are your emotions justified or extreme for the stimulus causing your anxiety? What is the real reason, thought or belief causing your emotions to be so extreme? 

Example Answers:

• I feel anxiety, hurt and anger
• Something my spouse said triggered a flood of anxiety and anger
• My feelings and emotions are way too extreme
• Words that were said triggered emotions caused by trauma from my childhood

What simple & specific actions will you take that will move you closer to achieving your mission and goals? What actions will you eliminate that take away from your mission?

Example Answers:

When negative emotions and thoughts come flooding in, before you react:

1. Take 3 deep breaths, focusing on the movement of your abdomen
2. Consciously Connect what is causing the negative thoughts and emotions. Name the emotion. Are those emotions justified or too extreme? What is the real cause for your exaggerated emotions? 
3. Respond appropriately

Express or write down what you are grateful for every single day.

Before the start of the new week, reflect on what occurred the prior week that you are grateful for.

Eliminate negative news from your morning routine

Engage in consistent and deliberate prayer

What frequency of simple & specific actions that contribute to your mission will you commit to?

Example Answers:

Daily, weekly, and when negative thoughts occur

Acceptance: If you don't like your situation, change it. If you can't change it, accept it. Happiness is not determined by your situation. Happiness is determined by your thoughts around it. If your focus continues to be on the problem, that is all you see. If your focus is on how to work with or around your current situation, you will find the path that gets you through. Eliminate the belief that things should be different. They aren't. Maybe they aren't supposed to be.  

Presence: Now is the only true reality. The past is gone and tomorrow is never a guarantee. Embrace it, live it, love it...and you will see your life, your relationships, and your peace of mind transform in a positive way.

Mindfulness: In order to be present, you must be mindful. Stop going through the motions and the to-dos. Focus on the NOW. Engage your senses. What is going on around you? What do you see, hear, feel, taste or notice going on right now? Simple attention to things as ordinary as your breathing can bring you from somewhere else in your mind to the present moment. Take time to practice on routine activities. You will notice the world and personal interaction come alive around you.

Neutral Thinking: Studies have shown that developing awareness of current positive and negative talk and self-talk is often the first step towards fulfilling achievement. Sometimes, working to implement positive self talk is too far of a leap. Neutral Thinking takes this problem head on. Two fundamental principles of this concept are:

1. Accept the facts, whether they are part of the past or part of your current situation, while working to separate emotion from those facts is Neutral Thinking. Taking emotion out of the facts of what has occurred or is occurring can change your current reality and outlook on the world. You don't have to think positively, just work on not holding onto negative emotions. What happens, happens. You are no worse off than other people in the world. What can you learn from this experience? What actions can you take to move closer towards achieving your goals and mission in life?
2. A great place to start with neutral thinking is to stop speaking negatively. We all have negative thoughts that enter our mind. Verbalizing them increases the negative impact of those thoughts.  Facts should be addressed and accepted, but speaking negatively or complaining about those facts will continue to contribute to stress and depression. Focus on verbalizing what your next steps are to move forward. Making the choice to incorporate this skill will make a tangible difference in your life. 

Breathing alone can have a significant impact on reducing anxiety and stress. Although many breathing techniques work, one simple and commonly used technique that can be accomplished in less than 2 minutes twice a day is the 4-7-8 Breath. This can be made even more simple with a free iBreathe ap for iPhone that can simply guide you through the exercise and set daily reminders.

For more details on Acceptance, Presence, Mindfulness, and Self-Talk follow the links below to recent CYFworld Blogs: 

• Mindfulness and Business Interaction
• The Other Side of Helplessness
• Survivor Mentality
• Living Around Toxic People

CBD & CBG: Every person has an Endocannabinoid system. When this system is in balance, you are in balance. CBD and CBG are legal in all 50 states and may help with anxiety, pain, sleep, and cognition. CYFworld has partnered with THP Medical to offer a Better Product, Backed by Science. Use Coupon Code THP88 for 20% off. Additional proceeds are used to further the CYFworld mission of spreading Empowerment, Leadership, & Purpose. 

Whether looking for a parking spot in a busy mall or creating a successful business, Intention and Becoming Comfortable Being Uncomfortable are the cornerstones to achieving these goals. With that being said, there is a clear difference between achievement and FULFILLING achievement. That difference lies with Purpose, Non-Attachment and Ego. 

Purpose: having a purpose that is greater than yourself is vital for fulfilling achievement. It is not wrong to have and obtain nice things, but when selfish desires are set as your primary purpose, real fulfillment is short lived. 

Intention is putting what you want and what you need out to God, the world, the universe, or whatever you embrace as larger than yourself. Declaring what it is you're going to achieve to others, writing it down, and prayer are strong examples of Intention. Continue until you allow yourself to believe that what you are declaring is more than just a possibility. (Mission)

Being Comfortable Being Uncomfortable: What actions contribute towards achieving your mission? Experience freedom and self-confidence by walking through small fears and expand them to a state of being comfortable being uncomfortable. It does not mean that fear goes away, but it becomes manageable and life becomes more fulfilling as you accomplish things you had never dreamed of accomplishing before. (Connection, Simple & Specific, Smother)

Non-Attachment is when your self-worth is not dictated by the outcome. Happiness is no longer determined from what you cannot control now. (Neutral Thinking)

Ego: People often do not realize the illusion of self until after a collapse of their self-identity associated with things, body, or thoughts (e.g. bankruptcy, divorce, maimed or injured body). When you choose to resist what happened by becoming bitter or deeply resentful, the shell of the Ego is hardened. This stifles fulfilling achievement and happiness in life. Separate who you are from things of the world. (Neutral Thinking)

For more details on Intention, Non-Attachment, Ego and Overcoming Fears, click on the links below to recent CYFworld Blogs:

• Living Intentionally
• Becoming Comfortable being Uncomfortable
• Mission, a fundamental tool for achievement

Also see EMPOWERMENT through Sales: Sales is the act of helping others live a better life. It is the creation of win-win outcomes that transforms our home, communities and profession, regardless of our place in society. Understanding and developing the right sales skills can and will positively transform the world around you. 

In survival situations, when fear, stress and anxiety are at its max, connection with a Greater Purpose is often the difference between living and dying.  There are seemingly very fulfilled and spiritual people that hold onto very different theologies, beliefs and purpose.  Find your greater purpose, which will often grow and adapt through life experiences.  Only you can determine what that is.

• Does it create unity or cause division?
• Does it bring out your best self?
• Are you able to embrace your authentic self without guilt or feeling "less than?"
• Does it help others?
• Are there those that it harms?
• Are you able to freely express thoughts and opinions, or are you censored?
• Are your actions directed by a desire to do and be more, or through fear, guilt or shame?
• Could you display the actions of the belief throughout the world and to any audience without regret?
• Do you have a direct link to your higher power, or is there a person designated as a liaison?
• Do you feel uplifted when following a belief, or do you follow principles out of guilt?
• Are you able to hold to principles that speak to your heart and let go of those that do not?
• Are some people placed above others, or separated as more important within the congregation or belief?
• Does it strengthen your family and relationships?