Transcending Fear

​Episode 4 of Knot Parenting "Transcending Fear" might be my most favorite and my least favorite episode of the whole series.
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My most favorite because I love exploring this topic — What does it mean to transcend fear? What does it mean to trust yourself and your people so much that you can ride this ride with them having faith in the development — them as people, you as a parent and the relationship that you are creating together?
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It’s also my least favorite because I realize that transcending fear is a process that can’t be summed up in a 30 minute podcast episode. It’s a big, deep, vast and PERSONAL endeavor.

And, I know I didn't quite answer it, because I received this message:

"Hey Carrie,

I loved your episode about fear - but I didn't quite "get" how to actually transcend it. Can you speak to that a bit?"

We all will experience fear at times. Especially in the midst of parenting. It's natural and normal to feel like this relationship is high stakes. And, in our current society, we have less support, community and guidance than we did in generations before.

I believe that transcending fear comes down to self-awareness.

And gaining self-awareness (especially in the parenting years) takes intention, effort and time.

It all goes back to my essentials:

Pause
Notice
Check-in
Appreciate
Resource
Consider

With practice these become reflexive and you can catch your wobbles sooner. And in doing that, you're able to handle both - the fear you're experiencing and the situation that evokes that fear - more skillfully.

No, it won't take away all of the fear or anxiety inherent to being human. But with practice, skills (and resources), you'll find that you'll be able to handle the anxiety producing moments with more clarity and confidence.

I have so much more to say on this and I'm cooking up some good stuff for March -- I promise you won't be on this ride alone.

Episode 4 is available now - you can listen here. If you haven't yet listened to Eps 1-3, I recommend starting there.