Be Fearless Like the Bears
Fear; " an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat " or " be afraid of, be fearful of, be scared of, be apprehensive of, dread, live in fear of, go in terror of, be terrified of, be terrified by".
Reading posts from fellow hikers I hear fear a common theme. We all have fears of something?
But, to have a love and passion to enjoy a particular activity and be kept from the enjoyment due to fear. How do we surpass and overcome? Rise above and carry on?
Anything worth doing will always have some fear attached to it. For example, having a baby, getting married, changing careers--all of these life changes can bring up deep fears. It helps to remember that fear is good. It is your way of questioning whether you really want the new life these changes will bring, so we educate ourselves. When we have fear of venturing out into the wilderness, enjoying a hike, camping, back packing there are fears, fears from the unknown to the stories we hear, and fear from what is out there we have not come face to face with.
Fear has a way of throwing us off balance, making us feel uncertain and insecure, but do not let it discourage. Its purpose is to notify us that we are at the edge of our comfort zone. Whenever we face our fear, we overcome an inner obstacle and move into new and life-enhancing territory, both inside and out. The more we learn to respect and even welcome fear, the more we will be able to hear its wisdom, wisdom that will let us know that the time has come to move forward, or not. While comfort with fear is a contradiction in terms, we can learn to honor our fear, recognizing its arrival, listening to its intelligence, and respecting it. The key is facing fear with knowledge and courage. Afraid of confronting a wild animal while out in the woods? Afraid of hiking alone? Confront your fears, acknowledge them, embrace and build your courage and self esteem.
If your fears are lions, tigers and bears....oh my, prepare and educate, know your surroundings and you can handle anything! Learn about the area you are entering, learn how to identify things in your surrounding ( watch for signs if these animals are present in the territory you venture into), and learn about the behaviors of the wildlife and how to handle an interaction. Fear can protect us from harm by sending a rush of adrenaline to help us physically deal with potential danger. The potential danger is less dangerous when you have the upper hand of knowledge and face your fears. Courage; Courage permits one to face extreme dangers and difficulties without fear.
So prepare, start small, if you hike alone, hike into well traveled territory. Tell someone where you are going and expect to return. Carry the cell phone but set on airplane mode or bring a back up battery device. If carrying pepper spray helps face a fear, then bring it ( but make it accessible and please aim down wind when using). Make noise on the trail, sing or talk out loud ( don't hike with ear buds and music so you don't hear life around you). Carry trekking poles, they can be good defense weapons. If you pack a gun, like I do, then know how to use it and be prepared if needed ( it won't do you any good in your back pack).
"Let your faith be bigger than your fear
Let your hope be bigger than your doubt
Let your love be bigger than you beliefs
Open your heart to all things possible
Rejoice and revel in where your are right at this moment"......Janet
And if you run into a bear, be like the bear. After all, the bear stands for courage! The Bear represents courage because of strength and natural ability to overcome challenges. A mother bear, for example, will stand against a much larger, stronger male bear or other threat to protect her cubs. Just as the Bear hibernates during the winter and reawakens each spring, we too, need rest and rejuvenation. The Bear shows us how to live a balanced life, where there is a time to be playful and a time to be assertive and courageous.
Gotta love the bear!