Fear To Fearce Meditations guided by Janey Brown.

Ch.1: Awareness

TrifectA Mindfulness Meditation + Belly Breathing:

If there is one single exercise you take away from this book, let this be it.

The trifectA Mindfulness component of this meditation broadens awareness & acceptance of the present physical, emotional, and mental states through the application of mindfulness, while diaphragmatic breathing or ‘belly breathing’ is used to adjust those states.

Practicing belly breathing helps us revert to deep, elongated belly breaths when fear or anxiety are detected. This will help slow the cascade of mental and physiological symptoms that occur when the nervous system has been triggered by fear.

Learning mindfulness and breathing techniques can be useful in keeping the nervous system balanced and can help prevent a perpetuating spiral of anxiety – especially right before going into a performance environment.

Ch.2: Acceptance

Ocean Meditation

In this meditation, using the breath to mimic the repetitive waves of the ocean, along with the trifectA Mindfulness tool helps develop a greater capacity for coping with stress.

First, we bring awareness to our physical, emotional, and mental states. Then, we practice acceptance of the potentially uncomfortable, painful, and fearful feelings that may surface to the beach of our mind as we stay present. The adjustment happens when we allow ourselves to then release these emotions with constant, slow, deep waves of belly breathing.

Controlled belly breathing triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, which interferes with the body’s physiological response to fear and stress, helping us to calm down. The idea is to train the body to reflexively revert to deep, elongated belly breaths the instant fear or anxiety is detected.

Ch.3: Adjustment

Full Body Appreciation Meditation

Practicing active gratitude is an amazing tool to cultivate positive emotion, whether done as a writing exercise or mentally in the moment to transcend a negative mental state.

When we open ourselves to gratitude, we develop a larger capacity for feeling more grateful. In a sense, we receive more of the same gift that we focus our gratitude on, by simply allowing ourselves to experience in full how grateful we are. 

This meditation focuses on: 

• belly breathing to reduce anxiety symptoms

• mindfulness & somatic awareness

• gratitude to cultivate positive emotion

• perspective shift to what’s most important: health

Note: People with movement disabilities or missing limbs may be triggered listening to this meditation, as components of it suggest cultivating gratitude for the ability to move various body regions. Listen with caution, or feel free to skip it.

Ch.5: Fear to Fuel

Voice of Reason Meditation

In the state of anxiety and stress, we’ve established that the body responds to the activation of the sympathetic nervous system’s defense of fight, flight, or freeze. Our hearts beat faster, we lose control of our breath, and we may even start to tremble or sweat. 

The mantra breathe before you think can help counteract the physiological response at the first sign of fear or anxiety, informing the body that we’re safe.

Along with our hearts, our thoughts also race as our emotional brain triggers our mind to create and replay worst-case narratives, which then trigger more fear and racing thoughts. 

The dilemma is that the inner trash talker – the voice of these negative narratives – has an important function for our survival, so we can’t abolish it altogether.

The solution is not to combat the inner trash talker and tell it to scram. Doing so can make it feel unheard which may only prompt it to get louder. It is also not a good idea to simply positively affirm our way out of feeling what we’re truly feeling; ignoring our feelings can also make the inner trash talker grow more persistent.

The purpose of the Voice of Reason Meditation is not to deny or eliminate the inner trash talker. It is to welcome the inner trash talker and listen to what it has to say, so that instead of becoming afraid of it or angry with it, we can start to reason with it.

Ch.6: Fear to Fearce

Create & Conquer Visualization

This visualization is meant to build confidence and help us cope with the fear and anxiety of an important performance-related future event. The Fear-Setting exercise guides us to summon our fears and blockages and write out creative solutions, while the Create & Conquer Visualization helps us embody the feeling of overcoming them and achieving success. In this guided meditation, we create a scenario of both tension and desired outcomes using a rich context story (5 senses), in order to normalize the event mentally and better equip us to conquer it in real life.

Ch.6: Fear to Fearce

Shining on Shadows: Writing Exercise & Visualization

1) Develop awareness around the fragmented pieces or parts that reside in your shadow or unconscious mind. Answer the following questions in your journal as honestly as possible:

1. a) What about me do I believe is unacceptable?

2. b) What parts of me am I hiding from the world? 

3. c) What in me am I deeply ashamed of?

Remember to breathe into the discomfort so your thoughts and feelings have the chance to surface. Don’t judge what you find, just observe.

2) Listen to the “Shining on Shadows Visualization” audio file to learn how to embrace and integrate the exiled parts you are hiding in the shadows.

Lirio de los Valles is a flower that grows in the shade and thrives. Learn to embrace the parts of you which do not shine; sometimes it is our dark side which causes us to bloom and rise.