We are forgetful creatures. We forget our own history. We forget the last time we felt this afraid—and how we made it through. We forget the prayers that were answered, the needs that were met, and the doors that opened at the very last second.Fear makes amnesiacs of us all.The antidote is to remember. To actively, forcefully, recall the evidence of goodness in your past.Build an altar, not of stones, but of memory. Keep a journal. A note in your phone. A mental list. Catalog the moments you were provided for. The times you were comforted. The instances where the thing you feared most didn’t come to pass—or it did, and you were given the strength to endure it.When a new fear rises, visit your altars. Read the entries. Touch the stones of your past deliverance.This is the oldest faith practice. The whole of the Psalms is essentially this: a cycle of fear, crying out, remembering God’s past faithfulness, and finding hope. The writer is in despair, and then he says, in Psalm 77:11, “I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.”He doesn’t feel better immediately, but he chooses to remember. That act of remembering becomes the bridge from isolation to connection, from terror to trust.Your history of grace is your most powerful weapon against the prophecy of fear.So What Does It Feel Like In The End?You must realize that this isn’t a one-time fix. It’s a practiced turn. A habitual reorientation. It won’t mean you never feel the chill of fear again. But it means you’ll know where to find the warmth.This is like waking up with that familiar knot in your stomach… and then reaching for the journal to name it. It sounds like the whisper of an ancient verse over the louder shout of a modern anxiety. It feels like the solid ground of the present moment under your feet, even as your mind tries to drag you into the quicksand of tomorrow.It’s not the absence of the storm. It’s a deep, settled knowing that there is an anchor—that you are held by a narrative of love that is older and sturdier than your newest fear.The goal of all these was never a life without fear. The goal was to live a life where fear is not the governor of your soul. Where it can be in the passenger seat, maybe—a nervous backseat driver—but it is never, ever allowed to hold the wheel.You can acknowledge the presence of fear. You can even thank it for trying to protect you. But then you must speak to it with the quiet authority of one who knows a truer story.“Peace,” you will say. Not to the ocean around you, but to the soul within you. “Be still.”And it will obey sooner or later, in the midst of it all.Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Milko
5 Powerful Ways to Overcome Fear When It Feels Overwhelming
