Be Brave! Mindful Kids: An Activity Book for Children Who Sometimes Feel Scared or Afraid

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You’ll likely be surprised how your kindness can impact others and totally change their moods. They may even end up supporting you in your intentions! 5. Trust Your Intuition Choose to help others. When you're afraid or stressed, your natural tendency may be to hide away from the world. However, psychological research suggests that this isn't the most helpful way to boost your courage. Many people display a “tend-and-befriend” tendency, where you react to a stressful situation by expressing care for others. Expressing care for others activates a state of bravery in your brain that can carry over into your own situations. The next time you're feeling fear, try to show someone else compassion or honor their strength. You may find your own increases too. [33] X Trustworthy Source Greater Good Magazine Journal published by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, which uses scientific research to promote happier living Go to source Learning how to be courageous in the face of fear takes practice and persistence. Think of it as learning a new skill. Once you’ve mastered it, it can be extremely liberating. Similarly, being brave when the situation calls for it can also be cultivated. How to be courageous: 9 ways to become fearless In addition, know your options. As you’re considering responses to situations, ensure you’re aware of multiple right answers. If you’re in the middle of a debate about how to respond to a customer need, you may be best served to take a forceful approach which ensures yours and the company’s values are served. If you’re seeking to sell an idea at a high stakes meeting, you may meet with each member of the group one-on-one to garner support before you’re in front of the whole group. You can express courage in a frontal approach or in more nuanced strategies—and these will vary based on what’s optimal for a particular situation.

For example, if you decide you want to try your hand at standup comedy (despite the fact that the thought alone terrifies you), you can create a schedule for when you'll work on writing new material and attending open mics. You could also research top comedians, times that they've bombed in front of a crowd, and their own recommendations and strategies for coping when jokes aren't landing the way you hoped. To prepare yourself to do a brave thing without feeling like you're leaping off a cliff or flying entirely by the seat of your pants, try making a plan so you can think through and prepare for every small step. You can analyze every potential scenario and come up with responses for each possibility. Another way to plan is by creating SMART goals for each aspiration you want to set out to do. This will help you set a timeline to achieve your goals so you don't let too much time pass without taking action. Whatever your intention, find ways to channel that energy in all areas of your life. If you want to live more boldly, say yes to that exciting new opportunity that came up at work. Intentions are the thoughts that lend direction to your actions. If you want to be more brave in certain areas of your life, then you need to intentionally channel bravery into your everyday actions.Generalizing is a common distortion. For example, “I'm such a coward” is a generalizing statement about yourself that isn't true. You may experience fear, but that doesn't make you “a coward.” People that aren’t brave blame other people for their challenges and play the victim card. I know because this used to be me. Stand For. Express your courage through your values as well. Do the right thing for yourself, but also for others, as a member of a community. A study by Ohio State University found when students didn’t cheat, they tended to rate higher on measures of courage, empathy and honesty. And they also tended to have a greater belief in the honesty of others around them. Their courage had important components which connected them to others (empathy and belief in the positive nature of others) and which contributed to their integrity (honesty). Know what matters most to you and don’t be shy about articulating your views. Do this in a way that others can hear you, and also seek to learn from others. Open yourself to others so you can gain new perspectives and continually develop your own opinions over time. As the saying goes, “when you know better, do better.” Start with a strongly held belief and seek to expand your understanding of different perspectives so you can ensure your responses are as empathetic and holistic as possible. When you expose yourself to these stories, you get the opportunity to model your behavior after someone who has succeeded despite their fears and find new and creative ways to deal with yours. 10) Embrace and challenge negativity Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.”

For example, if you are afraid of driving, control your fear of accidents by educating yourself with safe driving techniques. You can also install several safety devices on your vehicle to make yourself feel more secure. Aristotle suggested that those who tend towards fear should think through how they can practise greater confidence, and those who tend towards risky behaviour should consider how they can learn greater respect for the real risks and dangers of a situation. Refocus onto what you're feeling in the moment. For example: “I am feeling afraid about this big date tomorrow because I'm nervous that my date won't like me.” This will help you avoid holding unhealthy (and inaccurate) beliefs about yourself. [14] X Research source

Courage Governs and Overcomes Fear and Overconfidence

For example, you might say something like “I accept myself today for who I am” or “I am worth love.” Instead of focusing on your fear or on the negative consequences that taking action might bring, just focus on the positive feelings you’re going to have when you’ve taken action, whether you succeed or not. You’re so afraid of the consequences that you might suffer by taking action that you don’t make a move at all. Be DOMINANT with Women: Know How to MASTER Them (In Everyday Life) to Make Them Fantasize About You

This technique is particularly useful when it comes to doing some frightening things for the first time. When you don’t have any past experience that can reassure you (for instance, approaching a girl on the street when you’ve never done it before, throwing a punch, and so on). 13. Celebrate: The reward system in your brain releases a powerful neurotransmitter called dopamine that increases your sense of motivation and decreases your sense of fear. Dopamine can make you feel more optimistic and courageous. Understand that being brave doesn’t mean being fearless, but instead taking action while being afraid. Sometimes, if we feel really overwhelmed at the thought of doing something, it’s because we simply don’t have the mental or emotional capacity at the moment and need to practice self-care. And that’s okay. Develop mental resilience. Bravery requires you to be “tough” when you encounter scary or difficult situations. Mental resilience is more than just a tough front, though. To be truly resilient, you need to practice the following: [8] X Research sourceSometimes, it might feel risky to “trust your gut,” but don’t underestimate the power of your intuition. But not every one of us is born with superhero-level courage. Sometimes we have to start low and build our way up. Courage can also enhance your credibility and relationships. People respect and appreciate those who have clear convictions and who take action on them. In addition, when you do the right thing, the positive effects are likely to impact not just you, but others around you and this can build relationships and contribute to the broader community. History is filled with people who have succeeded in the face of adversity, which you can use as a sort of inspiration. Keep a journal throughout the day, noting when you feel uncertain, anxious, or afraid. Write down in specific detail what you think is causing these feelings. Also note how you respond to them in the moment. [29] X Research source