Letter To Fear

Afraid dear, after several weeks of thinking I decided to write you this letter so you know how I feel. I will talk to you about our relationship, about what I think of us and how my vision has changed since I started to get to know you better.

Through this letter you will better understand the change I have had. To begin, I want you to know that my path with you has not been easy, but, although it may seem incredible to you now, I also see your other faces.

Fear, you are present in my crises

I remember that, from a very young age, you would appear before me and the storm would begin. They were moments in which sadness, stress and overwhelm also kept us company. I didn’t know how to stop you and all I wanted was for you to disappear from my life.

Certainly, they were times when I didn’t understand how to manage you, just as I didn’t quite understand the meaning of your presence either. They were events that left an immense mark on my life, I still remember them as if it were yesterday.

When I didn’t know what to expect from the future, you approached me. Also, when I went over and over situations from the past, thinking about what I could have done. Honestly afraid, I did not like your company at all, it made me feel tasteless that made me think that my whole world was collapsing.

Thanks to you I have discovered myself

Over time, I have been able to broaden my consciousness, and I have also used what I have learned with you to get to know myself better. That means that I have been able to navigate deep within myself, and see my reactions, emotions, thoughts and feelings differently.

So, fear, thanks to your presence I have been able to connect with myself, which was previously unthinkable for me. It happens that by being able to establish that deep relationship with me, I have become more assertive when making my decisions, because, knowing how I am, it is easier to mark a destination and follow a course.

Also, I want you to know that living with you helped me to know what my strengths and weaknesses are. So, I know what resources I can use to overcome adversity! Wonderful, don’t you think?

Fear, you are also the engine of my life

When I started to explore myself every time you visited me, I realized that I connected with you as well. Little by little my perspective changed color, before I saw how my world was turning gray and I was after guilt and pain. I couldn’t separate myself from them. Now afraid, most of the times you come, I stay with you, I take off my masks, and I think “that’s what life is about”, “I must dance with my fears”. You are no longer a trace of suffering, you are one of learning. 

I have understood that it is very useful to redefine my experiences. In fact, logotherapy teaches us how to do it. A splendid author and psychiatrist, Viktor Frank, shows us how despite our great fears, we can move forward if we find meaning in our lives and give a different, more positive meaning to our unpleasant experiences.

You are the engine of my life, because when you go through it, you teach me to know myself, because every day I can count on a broader or different vision. Also, you are the engine of my life, because you make me feel alive, and that motivates me to go after my dreams, to remember that there are failures and great barriers, but also ways to get ahead.

Thank you for everything you have taught me. Today I can admire beauty even in the darkest places. You have stopped being a nightmare, you have become a valuable resource to face adversity. Now that I see you and think of you differently. I can see your other side and honestly tell you that your company is valuable.