3 Simple Keys to Getting Rid of Fear
Every single day we are faced with a myriad of fears and worries that can diminish our happiness, sap our energy, and leave us feeling powerless. When you feel afraid that is when you need to use these 3 simple tools to get rid of fear.
The first key is breathing. Breathing deeply into your belly, inhaling slowly and exhaling completely will help you release the tension in your body so fear doesn't have a chance to take over. Next come the 3 things we say when we're afraid: "I can't do this," "I can't handle that," or "This person has power over me. "
When we feel fear, the first thing we need to do is identify what it is that's making us uncomfortable. Is it anger? Is it jealousy? Whatever the emotion, we can remove its power over us by changing how we think and speak about it. For example: "I am afraid I can't handle my finances" becomes "I am worried about my financial situation, but I can deal with this." Or if someone in your life is disappointing you, say to yourself "He has disappointed me," rather than putting him down by labeling him as a bad person.
The final key is action. The fastest way to get rid of fear is to take action. Fear can only exist when you're stuck in a place of passivity and inaction. Remember that the greatest antidote to fear is courage, and the first step toward courage is just getting out of your comfort zone. So do something! Something that excites you, challenges you, makes you feel alive, or helps someone else. And when you do act on your fears and worries, be sure to congratulate yourself for taking the risks necessary to live a truly healthy and happy life.
About the Author:
Laura Scruggs, LCSW, is a licensed psychotherapist (PMTA) and certified life coach who helps people with anxiety and depression. Her passion is helping those who are unwell transcend the limitations imposed by their diagnosis or traumatic history to live purposeful, fulfilling lives. Laura has treated hundreds of adults, adolescents and children in individual and group sessions in Marin County, California. To learn more about Dr Laura's work visit www.laurascruggs.com
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Rabbi Yisroel Belsky was an outstanding and inspiring man who embodied the very best in the Humanities. He had a tremendous impact on all those who he knew and even those who did not know him. He was truly loved his friends, his family, his congregation and the larger community in which he lived, worked and died.
There were two things that I really loved about Rabbi Belsky. First, he always treated me with great respect and dignity; and second, he was the perfect teacher of a class in which I was interested in learning Talmud.
When a person learns for the sake of learning, it is a beautiful thing; that person is truly an independent thinker who is not swayed by the opinions and teachings of others but who tries to understand everything on his own and makes his own conclusions. This quest for knowledge means that one has a genuine thirst for truth and wants to know what it really means. Rabbi Belsky was a true masmid, a man of the book who knew how to explain and expound upon just about anything that he had read and studied.
There is one personal story about Rabbi Belsky that I will always treasure. One day, Rabbi Belsky asked me where I had been for the last two years. I told him that I was attending the Yeshiva University rabbinical school; however, there was no money or scholarship available for me to continue my studies and that my family could not afford to pay for my tuition. Rabbi Belsky paused for a moment, put his hand on my shoulder and told me that he would find a way to make it possible for me to continue learning. A few months later, Rabbi Belsky arranged a fundraiser in my synagogue where many people contributed money toward my tuition. Thus, Rabbi Belsky made it possible for me to continue studying for the next six years after which I was able to receive my rabbinic degree.
Rabbi Belsky continued teaching me throughout the years until the day he passed away. I always felt that Rabbi Belsky was watching out for me and that he cared about my welfare very much.
Rabbi Belsky was a man of great integrity, loving kindness and a deep sense of middos (character). He will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him and even those who did not know him. He will long be remembered as one of the greatest rabbis and men of faith that I have ever known.
(submitted by Dr. Yisroel Meir Weiss)
Rabbi Aharon Belsky's Passing:
A Story of Tzaddik and Kaddish
by Rabbi Ari Kahn, Littauer Fellow at the Hillel at Harvard University
In its twenty-six years of existence, the Littauer Center at Harvard has had the privilege of hosting some of the greatest Jewish minds that have graced us with their presence. I can think back on a lengthy list of great teachers who have taught me what it means to be a Jew. But one in particular has had a special place in my heart since my first encounter with him, over ten years ago.
The man I am referring to is Rabbi Aharon Belsky — yes, that's "Belsky" — who passed away at the age of 86 last year. This is a man whose reputation and accomplishments have spread far and wide, but few outside of my idyllic little world have ever heard of him. That's exactly as it should be. It takes a lot for someone to become the kind of role model that Rabbi Belsky was for me; his life story is indeed remarkable. And yet he was more than just a great teacher, he was a fine human being with personality traits and values that were exceptionally noble.
Conclusion
One afternoon during the spring of my junior year at Yeshiva University, I was attempting to do what every other student was doing: reading a book. In this case I was reading Rav Belsky's new book, A Guide to the Complex Talmudical Texts. My attention span at the time wasn't so great and I found it difficult to concentrate on a single text for too long. It usually took me about ten minutes before I'd reach an impasse and just put the book down for another day. That particular day became my first encounter with Rabbi Belsky.