Brianna Wiest - The Mountain Is You_ Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery (2020)

THE MOUNTAIN IS YOU
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When we are in a state of fearful thinking, it doesn’t
matter what we are afraid of; the thought process follows
us from problem to problem. Often, there’s a metaphor
encoded within it. For example, we may be afraid of an
ultimate “loss of control” or some external force coming in
and unraveling our progress.
Regardless, chronic fearful thinking often comes back
down to feeling the need to focus our energy and attention
on a potential threat so we can protect ourselves from
it. We imagine that if we are worried, anxious, or angry
about it, it will remain within our awareness and therefore
cannot surprise us. We can retain some control over it.
The very act of holding these fearful thoughts within our
minds is exactly how the fear is controlling us in the first
place. It is derailing our lives right now, because we are
channeling our energy into something that is outside of
our control, as opposed to using it for everything that is
actually within our control—the habits, actions, and behaviors
that would actually move our lives forward.
In this sense, what we are afraid of is really a projection of
what’s already happening.
The only true way to get over chronic fear is actually to
get through it. Instead of trying to battle, resist, and avoid
what we cannot control, we can learn to simply shrug and
say, and if that happens, it happens. The second we are able
to shrug, laugh, or even just throw our hands up and say,