Positive Surroundings

“The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” Psalm 118:6

When I think about what causes me the most Fear, something very specific comes to mind. It’s not death, or violence, it’s losing my reputability. I’ve put quite a lot of effort into who I present to the world and not being able to count on that work as what people judge me off of causes me the most Anxiety. I find myself obsessing sometimes about what other people are thinking about me, if I’ve offended them, how could I have prevented it, what I can do to fix it, and most of the time I’m too afraid of rejection to even reach out to people to rectify a situation. And to make it worse, I then worry about what they are saying to the next person about me and what that could be doing to shape my life. It’s a horrible thing to be Afraid of.

What are you afraid of? We’ve talked before about the different things that cause us to be afraid, but it’s different for everyone. Our Fear factor is determined by what we’ve experienced and witnessed. Sometimes we develop phobias. No matter what it is, that “thing” that you’re afraid of is potentially keeping you up at night, causing you anxiety, and stopping you (at times) from living your best life. That hardly seems fair. Why should you have to lose some of your best days because of fear? I’m here to tell you, you don’t! The best way to keep Fear from taking over is to surround yourself with positivity. Positive surroundings can come in different forms: thoughts, words, spaces, and people. Positive affirmations cover the first two because they are the thoughts and words you say to yourself to cover you. If you need suggestions for those then I recommend reading last week’s entry Think Positive. Today I want to focus on what else you can surround yourself with to assist that process as well.

Positive spaces means just that, creating places where you can be happy and free. You don’t have control of the entire world and sometimes you can’t even control your neighborhood, school, or workplace. That doesn’t mean you can’t create positive spaces for yourself in those places. Designate areas where negativity is not aloud. In your home, your car, even your workplace, find a space that will be a no negativity zone and stick to it. Stand your ground, specifically with yourself. You have to empower yourself to face your fears and protect your peace, because if you don’t, who will?

Speaking of who will, you need to surround yourself with positive people. Your tribe should be full of people who will encourage you, support you, and that you can trust with the truth about your fears so they can help talk you down from that ledge. My tribe knows what my biggest fear is and I can count on them to bring positivity and light to me when I’m facing it. They never let me validate the fear. They talk it down, cast it out, and fill me with positive reinforcement that these fears won’t overtake me. And you know who is the first person on that team? God! The bible tells us “The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” (Psalm 118:6) Remembering that, and keeping him on my team is the first and constant reminder that there’s nothing that man can do that God can’t undo.

So remember, have your positive surroundings ready for when you’re done walking through that valley of the shadow of death, surrounded by evil. You can’t always avoid it, but always having a thoughts, words, places and people you can return to and call home will give you what you need to endure even the worst of your fears.