Emotional Strength Training: Breaking Free From Fear

By James J. Stamatelos

No matter what life presents us with, we always have a choice: do we want to remain afraid?
Learning how to switch ourselves into an emotional place of strength, confidence and safety may be the single most important skill any of us can develop in today’s fear-saturated world. We are constantly bombarded with messages that we're not enough: not good enough, not safe enough, not successful enough, etc. This constant flood has over-activated the fear response of our brain's limbic system which was never meant for long-term use. Fear causes us to repeatedly use emotional and blunt short-term solutions that rarely resolve the problems we face. Emotional Strength Training allows us to break this cycle so we can regain access to the parts of our brain that help us regulate our emotions, conduct creative problem solving and develop meaningful long-term decisions that work. We have the choice to act with confidence and competence instead of fear.

This is a brief introduction to Emotional Strength Training techniques. It was written for any individual or professional coach/therapist who wants to break the grip of fear. It is adapted from the upcoming book "The Strength Revolution," scheduled to be released in late 2018.

• Language: English
• Publisher: James J. Stamatelos
• Release date: Jun 22, 2018

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As The Rush Comes

My mind spun like a hurricane as I was tossed about in a sea of fear and self-doubt. No relief could be found. Negative thoughts rose and crashed like endless waves, each one hitting harder than the last: You’re not enough. You’re too far behind. It’s never going to work. I desperately tried to quiet the storm by doing what I was trained to do: isolate these beliefs, question them and correct them through reason. It was getting me nowhere.

It was time for a new strategy. With every ounce of focus and determination I could muster, I made a clear declaration: I alone create my life.

I chose this phrase on purpose. It wasn’t a nice, feel good statement I randomly heard. It was a phrase that evoked a deep emotional response from within me. I felt it every time I said it. It made me feel strong, confident and in control. I chose it because of how it made me feel.

Like a ship’s captain who had decided to reclaim the helm and take back control of his ship from the wind and waves, I focused all my attention on this phrase. I repeated it to myself over and over, using every ounce of mental bandwidth I had available.

In less than two minutes I started to experience physical, mental and emotional changes. My shoulders loosened as my heart began to slow and my breathing relaxed. Thoughts of what was going wrong were replaced with a deep and determined confidence.

I smiled. This