Simple Techniques
Powerful Results Lifelong Journey
Powerful Results Lifelong JourneyCopyright Zan Z. Packard 2008
ZanPackard.com
(The Adventurous Introvert ™)Zan Z. Packard, M.A.
The Adventurous Introvert ™
Monthly Newsletter:
"A Journey Within"
Newsletter
By Choice... or From Fear?
by Zan Z. Packard
As introverts, we often make choices based on how we think we will react to the various stimuli of our external world. During a recent The Way of the Introvert Guided Journaling workshop session, a student shared that they were often angry, frustrated, and bored because, while they consciously made the choice to stay home, they knew the choice was made from fear. “I really think it has to do with limiting my contact with stressful people and situations; staying at home becomes the only way I know how to self-soothe.”
All the introverts in the room nodded their heads in agreement as this simple statement resonated with each of us in our own way. The fear can be summed up as:
•Fear of being on overload and not being able to cope
•Fear of feeling so ‘different’ that our egos take an
extraordinary hit
•Fear of not having an escape route
•Fear of not being able to make small talk
•Fear of having to explain ourselves to people who just don’t
‘get it’.
All of these fears have probably manifested to most introverts at one time or another. Even the healthiest of us can fall prey to one of these fears if we’re caught off guard or with our energies depleted.
So what’s an introvert to do when we want to explore and venture out of our comfort zone, but don’t want to feel trampled on by the extrovert-world in which we live? The answer is multi-layered.
1. First, one needs to find out what decisions are made by
choice and which ones are made from fear.
2. Then, one needs to identify the fear and,
3. Lastly, one needs to develop a strategy for coping with the
fear (feel the fear and do it anyway!).
OK, here’s where guided journaling comes in:
•If you suspect that some of your decisions are fear based, then I suggest that you do as much journaling on the
subject as you can to fully flesh out, not only what the fear
is, but also to discover where the fear came from.
•Spend as much of your writing time as you can because this will serve you well in the next steps. One student
wrote: “My subconscious is assuming things about me, on a base, primal level, that my conscious mind may not be content with.” Here’s a prime example of someone who is making fear-based choices and is now at the perfect place to begin identifying just what, exactly, it is they want to do. •Not all fear based decisions have an easy solution, but most of the time, one can become fully aware of what their triggers are and devise a plan of action for when they become activated, thus enable them to adventure out a little more often and a little further each time. Happy Journaling!
Don't miss a single Newsletter
Sign up to have them delivered FREE to your inbox once
each month
