Celebrate Independence Day by declaring your freedom from fear!

By Ken Lauher

Are you a chronic worrier? Do your behavior patterns make it hard to be happy, because you’re always worried about the next big disaster to come to pass?

Worry stems from a fear of a negative occurrence. But the catch is, fear doesn’t actually exist. It’s something we create in our minds as a survival mechanism. Because, in extreme, (and even some not-so-extreme) cases, fear can cause us to take action that prevents us from harm or even saves our life.

When fear becomes harmful, however, is when we dwell on it without taking positive action. Once you’ve taken action, there’s no need to be fearful because you’ve given yourself the best chance at a positive outcome. The only thing left to do is put your energy into envisioning and expecting that positive outcome, relax, and let the Universe do its job for the greater good.

That’s a key to success and happiness: Have faith that the Universal energy is on your side, not against you, and that everything that happens is, ultimately, exactly as it should be. I recently shared three ways to calm any fear or worry.

Here’s a list of people’s most common fears and how to deal with them constructively. Which ones sound most familiar to you?

Common fear #1:

1. Worry about natural disasters, terrorist attacks and other doomsday-type, society-changing events – Whether your concerns are about another terrorist attack on U.S. soil, large-scale natural disasters triggered by climate change, or any other event that threatens life as we know it, this kind of worry can make you sick — and crazy. Watching shows like Doomsday Preppers, where people seem to add validity to these concerns, can make it worse, especially if you feel ill-prepared for such an emergency.

How to Calm the Fear: First, assess the probability of such an event occurring. (Very small!) Consider all the steps that have been taken to protect the U.S. from another attack like that of 9/11/2001.

Still worried? Take action. Make a list of everything you can do to make your home safer and prepare for a natural disaster or an attack. This could include everything from keeping three days worth of water for every person in your house to having a small overnight bag packed for every person in the event of an evacuation. Do you have a generator in case of a long-term power outage? Candles and flashlights in case of a storm? These are the basics of storm prep and every home or apartment, no matter how small or large, should have at least that much.

OM Times Magazine » syndicated