Feel the fear… and choose curiosity instead! 

All of us encounter many situations in life which create a fear of the unknown.  It could be something quite small – like making a journey in the car or by public transport – or something much bigger, like starting a new job or making another big life change.

There are good evolutionary reasons why unknowns and ambiguity trigger fear, so it is natural to feel this.  However, fear of the unknown can really get us in its grip, making it hard to deal with – so choosing another option, be it curiosity or something else, is not necessarily easy as we often get overwhelmed by the fear, or we strive to make it go away.

Mindfulness can help.
When we simply NOTICE that we are fearful or apprehensive, we can observe whatever thoughts, emotions and feeling are here – just as they are and without judgement.  This brings us to the present moment and grounds us – then we can then choose a helpful approach, such as bringing curiosity to what’s here.  Curiosity allows us to see the range of options and opportunities that the situation offers – and when we explore these, it can be positively life-changing.

So – when you notice that fear of the unknown is here, why not try observing things just as they are, then choose to “replace fear of the unknown with curiosity”, as the poster says.

I would love to hear how you get on if you give it a try – please do let me know!