I’m always surprised by the number of articles—and writers—who focus on fear. It’s not that I’m not fearful; it’s just that I’m surprised that so many of us have fears we know about, yet struggle—really struggle—to overcome. To me, fear seems like part of the human condition. And the only answer to fear is to take the plunge—something which, for many of us, is untenable.
All this made me wonder how you feel about fear.
What makes you nervous? And how do you handle it?
Am I welcome here? Who knows?!
The ways I “handle” it are at once typical—nail-biting, the racing heart, etc.—and a little less likely.
I don’t really get past the nervousness until I feel like I fit in, and to do that, I need to have colleagues I can joke around with—people who appreciate my sense of humor. I’ll be honest: there are places where my sense of humor simply does not fly. And I’ve worked in them.
So I spend my first few days at a new location trying my humor on with people, until I work out who gets it (whence hilarity ensues) and who doesn’t. Once that’s settled, I can ditch the nervousness because I know that, at least in some quarters, I belong.
That’s me. So what makes you nervous? And how do you handle or manage that nervousness? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments.
About georgina
Hi Georgina,
You wrote such a great post, I handle it the same way… it is always such a great feeling when you feel yourself starting to relax and the butterflies go away! I am sorry for not answering your question, I just liked and agreed with what you had to say!
Have a great night!
Lisa
Hi Georgina,
I never experience the feelings of nervousness. Alright, just kidding. I Don’t mind it if it is just a feeling but if it turns into full fledge resistance then I am in trouble.
I know that whenever I enter a new situation there are going to be some unpleasant feelings but eventually I will get past that feeling and become at ease.
Thanks for the comments! Glad you liked the post, Lisa. Justin makes a great point, too: keeping nervousness in perspective is an important factor in not becoming overwhelmed by it.
Hello.!
Hmm I get nervous about a lot of thing and I never know how to handle it. I have a lot of anxiety so…. I mean its kinda difficult to stop being nervous. Even when I’m not nervous I’m never at ease and I can never relax. Haha(: