Walk Through Fear | How to Move Forward When Your Mind Feels Uncertain

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You know what you want.. but fear keeps getting in the way.

In this episode:
• Why fear shows up when something really matters
• How overthinking keeps you stuck
• What your mind is actually doing (and why it feels so real)
• How to take your next step — even when you don’t feel ready

Wherever you are, however far you go… this is your mile.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

If fear has been stopping you from making a decision or taking an action you know could move your life forward, this walk is for you. Welcome to the Healing Mile. I'm Carrie, your walking bestie. Before we get into it, I want you to know that wherever you are, however far you go, this is your mile. This is your time to step away from the noise, come back to yourself, and move through whatever's been sitting on your mind one step at a time. By the end of this walk, you're gonna feel a little clearer, a little lighter, and more connected to yourself than when you started. So take a breath, settle into your pace, and let's walk. I want to start this one with something really real because I know this feeling personally. There was a time in my life where I knew I needed to make a decision that would change everything for me in a really good way, and I could feel that. It wasn't loud or dramatic, it was actually really quiet. Just this steady knowing that kept showing up no matter how much I tried to ignore it. And I knew what the next step was. That part wasn't confusing. What was confusing was everything my mind started doing the second I thought about actually taking that step. It sounded like maybe this isn't the right time. You should probably think this one through more. What if you make the wrong decision? What if you regret it later? And the thing is, instead of those thoughts feeling negative like they were, they actually felt responsible and smart, like I was doing the right thing by being careful. So instead of moving forward, I stayed right where I was, thinking, replaying, analyzing, trying to make sure I could predict everything before I made a move. And I didn't realize it at the time, but my mind wasn't helping me move forward. It was helping me stay safe. So as we keep walking, I want you to just come back into your body for a minute. Nothing complicated, just notice your steps. Feel your feet hitting the ground. There's already a beautiful rhythm there. Your body is already moving forward. And that matters because even while your mind has been going back and forth about something important, your body has never actually stopped moving. You're here, you're walking, you're breathing. So take a slow breath in through your nose. And let it out gently. One more time. Breathe in through your nose. And out gently. And as we keep walking, just notice what shifts in your body when you breathe on purpose. Your shoulders soften a little, your jaw relaxes, your hands feel less tense. Those aren't dramatic things, but that's real. That's real response from your body. And this matters because when your mind is trying to figure everything out, your body tightens right along with it. And that tension makes everything feel more intense than it actually is. So instead of trying to solve anything right now, we just let our body move and settle. And we walk from there. Let's talk about what's really happening when fear is holding us back. Most of the time, it's not that we don't know what we want. We do. There's something pulling you, something that keeps coming back into your mind, something that feels like it could move your life forward in a meaningful way. And then fear shows up. But it doesn't always show up as panic or the way we normally associate fear as a feeling. It shows up as thinking and more thinking and more thinking and analyzing and what ifs. And then suddenly you're not just thinking about what you want, you're thinking about everything that could go wrong if you go for it. And our mind is really good at this. It can take one decision and turn it into 10 possible outcomes in a matter of seconds. And now you're trying to choose the right path before you even take the first step. And that's what creates that feeling of being stuck. Not because you can't move, but because you're trying to make the perfect decision before you do. Your mind is designed to protect you. That's what it's doing. It looks ahead and tries to anticipate what might happen so you can avoid pain, avoid mistakes, discomfort, or rejection. And that's helpful. We appreciate it for that. But here's the point we don't always realize. Your mind doesn't just protect you from bad outcomes, it also tries to protect you from uncertainty. And anything that could change your life is uncertain. So even when something is good for you, aligned for you, something you truly want, your mind can still treat it like a risk. And when it does that, it starts creating thoughts that feel true, but aren't always accurate. Thoughts like, this isn't the right time, you're not ready yet. You should wait until you feel more sure. And those thoughts feel real because your body responds to them. Your chest tightens, your breath changes, your energy shifts, and now it's not that thought, it's like a signal, like something is wrong. But what's actually happening is your mind is just trying to keep you in what's familiar, because familiar feels safe, even if it's not where you want to stay. So here's the shift that changes everything. We don't need fear to go away before we move forward. We just need to stop waiting for it to. Because if we wait until we feel completely certain, completely confident, completely ready, we'll stay in the same place. Not because we're stuck, but because you're asking your mind for something it's not designed to give you. Your mind isn't designed to give you certainty about the future. It's designed to imagine it. And imagination will always include risk. So instead of trying to eliminate fear, we learn how to move with it. So maybe you're having a fearful thought in your life now. And if not now, when you do in the future, just notice the thought. You don't have to believe it or dive into it, just notice it. And quietly say to yourself, hmm, this is fear showing up. That's it. No fixing or trying to figure it out, no arguing, just awareness. And then bring your attention right back to your body. You feel your steps, you feel your breath, you feel yourself here in whatever present moment that may be. And now focus on your next step, not the entire outcome, not the full decision, just the next step. Because that's how movement works. We don't take ten steps at once, we take one and then another and then another. And somehow we keep moving forward. So as we continue to walk, I want you to imagine yourself on a path, and you come up to a fork in it. You can go right or you can go left. You've been on this path before, and you've been to this fork before, and you usually go the same way every time. It's familiar. You know what to expect. But you've always wondered about the other side of the path. It feels different and unknown, so it always brings up a little fear. And as you stand there this time, your mind starts doing what it does. It points out what you don't know, it reminds you what could go wrong, and it tries to pull you back towards the side of the path that you always go down, the one that feels safe. But you notice what your mind is doing, and you come back to your body. You feel your feet on the ground, you feel your breath. And instead of figuring out the whole path, you just make a decision and take one step towards the side that feels a little uncertain. Just one step and then another. You can still feel the fear, but you're moving forward. And after a few more steps, you start to hear something. So you slow down and you listen. It sounds like water. You keep walking a bit, and now you can see it. A waterfall just off the path. Something you've never seen before. Something you would have completely missed if you had stayed on the side where it felt safe. And in that moment, it clicks with you. The fear we feel didn't mean stop. It just meant we're stepping into something new with the potential of something beautiful. Now let's lock in this hopeful feeling with a few affirmations, or as I like to call them, thoughts on purpose. You can say them silently or out loud. Whatever feels best for you. I can feel fear and still move forward. I trust myself to handle what comes next. I am capable of taking the next step. I am already moving forward. Just notice how those words feel in your body. Let them sink in as we bring this walk to a close. I want you to come back to that moment I shared at the beginning. That place where I knew what I wanted, but I let my thoughts keep me standing still. The moment everything changed for me wasn't when I felt completely ready. It wasn't when I had all the answers. It was when I finally realized that my mind was just trying to protect me, but it wasn't always telling me the truth. And I didn't need to wait for it to quiet down. I just needed to take one step and then another and then another. And everything I was trying to figure out before I moved started to become clear because I moved. And that's what I want you to take from this walk. You don't need to eliminate fear. You don't need to feel completely certain or have it all figured out. You just need your next step. And you are already capable of taking it. Well, we made it to the end of this walk, and I'm so happy you're here on this journey with me. Be sure to follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode. And leaving a five-star review helps us reach more people. You'll find helpful tools and resources linked in the show notes, along with an option to support the podcast and help keep it ad-free. And don't forget to listen to the Healing Minute episode that goes along with this week's walks. It's a short meditation to help you carry some calm and peace into the rest of your day. As always, thank you so much for walking with me today here on the Healing Mile, and I'll see you on the path again soon.