At its best, fear is an instinctive, natural ability to help us survive. At its
worst, it’s that nagging voice inside our heads that heralds doom and disaster even
before we get started on something. Fear keeps us from taking risks that might enrich
our life or holds us back from doing some things we need to do. Do we experience
new and exciting vistas? Get involved with that person or group? Accomplish something
really great? Fear says, “Not on your life.” To discover the role fear plays in
your life, complete the following Thriving quiz.

True or False

Set 1

1. My self-talk is filled with can’ts, shouldn’ts and ought-tos.

2. I never talk about my fears. If I do, people will think I’m stupid or weak.

3. I often find myself thinking about bad things that might happen in the future.

4. I feel trapped in or avoid social situations where it might be difficult to escape
if I wanted to, such as in a crowd or on the highway.

5. I tend to need approval from family or peers before going after dreams and goals.

6. Making mistakes publicly is horrendous; I just want to crawl away and hide.

7. I’d rather not get involved in a relationship because I’d have to surrender personal
power and lose myself.

8. To avoid being rejected, I try to please people and take my own needs and desires
out of the equation.

9. I often compromise in situations to avoid conflict.

10. A sure-fire way to end up disappointed is to want something too much.

11. When things seem to be going really well for me, I get uneasy that I’ll do something
to ruin it.

12. I find it difficult to express undesirable emotions such as anger.

13. When confronted by others, I feel “spacey” or disconnected from my body.

14. I’m so nervous about approaching my boss for a raise, I’ve never asked for one.

15. I’d rather just stick to what I know, even if it’s not great, than risk change.

Set 2

1. I expand my comfort zone by taking a small risk every day, such as making one
phone call or asking for one thing I want.

2. When I feel fear, I keep my mind on the details, not the Big Picture. I complete
the report word by word, pay the bills one by one, see the group individual by individual.

3. I look to others to model courage for me. Their courageous behavior encourages
confidence.

4. When something scares me, I get information, replacing fear with knowledge.

5. I visualize myself doing what I’m afraid to do; I see myself as graceful, strong
and capable.

If you answered true more than false in the first set of questions, fear may be
playing a bigger role in your life than you’d like. In the second set, a true means
you’re successfully employing strategies to master fear. If your fears are pervasive
or severe, you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder, in which case you should
definitely seek help. If your fears are not debilitating, but still get in the way
of doing what you need or want to do, asking for help can make all the difference.

Author’s content used under license, © 2008 Claire Communications