Aspire Magazine: Inspiration for a Woman's Soul.(TM) Oct/Nov 2017 Aspire Mag Full Issue: Feminine Wisdo | Page 50

FEAR Dissolving Through Acceptance BY BAILEY GADDIS A reverence is owed to fear — it holds the power to veer us away from danger and it provides us opportunities to discover and claim our courage, allowing us to grow in ways impossible to access without a powerful impetus. So thanks, fear — we honor you. Now we’re going to learn how to get you the heck out of our way. Fear can be a catalyst for growth only when it is acknowledged and accepted, then shown the door. When it becomes a festering guest it begins swallowing up your reserves of health, happiness, and sanity, sticking you in a “what- if” paralysis. The oftentimes-false illusions that give birth to fear (e.g., a misconception that your body doesn’t know how to build and birth a baby) are frequently left unchecked in the vulnerable heart, mind, and body of the pregnant mama. You may believe the fears are there to protect you, maybe to “prepare you for the worst.” But instead of helping you prepare for an unlikely and unwanted outcome, the stress produced by these fears often creates the unwanted outcomes, like pregnancy complications, medical interventions, or postpartum depression. 50 www.AspireMAG.net | October / November 2017