A technique for overcoming negative emotions and taking action

How to overcome negative feelings and take action

I've been wanting to get started on my goals for years now, but every time I'm about to start, I fall through. Why?

I am sure many people can relate. You have some awesome plan - such as starting a business, creating content, or taking your fitness seriously. Yet it never happens. Some fear or negative emotion stops you from getting started.

It feels so good to think about, to plan - you're so excited to start!

But when the time comes to act, you feel awful. You experience starter's fear paralysis, self-doubt, and intense anxiety.

Something always comes up. And it always will!

And even if we start, we don't continue for long. We give up. Usually for a lack of seeing results, or because of being overwhelmed at how much there is to do.

It's frustrating as hell.

But why is it this way?

Are we our worst enemy? It always seems we self-sabotage ourselves. We don't follow through on our commitments to ourselves. We don't keep our own word. We don't do what we need to do. And this gives us tremendous guilt and regret. More negative emotions!

Every time before we start, there's a little voice that bubbles up negative emotions such as doubt, worry, and anxiety. It'll start to surface and you'll notice it immediately! It's a physical sensation.

These emotions will cause you to freeze. They will prevent you from taking action.

So what do we do to overcome this? How can we deal with negative emotions? How can we embrace discomfort and in spite of it keep moving forward? How can we overcome fear and start taking action on our goals, today, right now?

Move to the next hold without thinking about it, a technique for overcoming fear, dealing with negative emotions, and achieving goals through action

This is a trick I learned from rock climbing. Often times when we are on the wall, in a tricky, very uncomfortable situation, we are hit by a wave of panic. I'm sure any climber knows what I am talking about here.

No matter how much we've climbed, there'll always be times when we are faced with the fear of falling. There'll always be a move that is uncomfortable and scary.

So what do we do about it?

There's a little trick I do, and I'm not sure how else to explain to besides this:

I turn my brain off.

Just no thoughts.

I just go.

The panic is still there, perhaps. But we just ignore it temporarily. We pick it up and put it to the side. We cancel it out with our breathing.

I've conditioned myself to not think in these situations and to just take action. And it helps tremendously!

Normally, I just focus on my breathing, and when I exhale, I move. Simple and effective. I grab the next hold. I feel a flood of relief when I actually manage to hold on. There's a short moment of respite. Then I look up. Fuck. There's another hold. Fuckkkk. And then the whole wave of anxiety comes again.

But it's not new. It's the same feeling. And this time it's a little different - because I know I've overcame it before, I know I can do it again. This time it's no longer a feeling holding dictatorship over my life. This time I know it's just a feeling, something that is just there, something that I can sit with and look at. It's a new interesting relationship. It's a new way for dealing with negative emotions and for taking action towards our goals.

Because I've overcame it before, there's this new power inside me. Like a little muscle in my brain that got worked and pumped up. New blood has flown into it, and it's feeling healthy and strong. It's eager to act again, to test its metal. It's like when you go to a gym and your body feels amazing after a workout. You feel lighter and stronger the next day. You have more control over your own muscles, that mind-body connection. Your muscles feel good having been used.

Now this muscle isn't the cold, overstretched, tired, weak muscle that it was once before. This time it's a bit more elastic and snappy. It's strong. You've built a muscle that is capable of effectively dealing with negative emotions, and for taking action immediately, without hesitation or wavering. It's a pretty great thing!

Okay, now, we do the same thing. We act again.

Deep breath. Don't think. Just do.

I push with my legs, brace my core, and grab the next hold. Bingo! Got it!

My forearms are screaming. They are tired. I almost let go there. I feel like I am going to fall.

But again, I ignore this. I keep going up. I keep thinking "go up". And I think nothing else. I keep moving, no matter what.

One hold at a time. One screaming muscle at a time. One empty brain at a time.

It's quite silent in there. Emotions keep bubbling up to the surface, but you kindly pick them up, and put them to the side of the room. You give them a pat on the head, and you tell them it's going to be alright. You tell them you are doing this out of self-love and to not worry so much. Then you go for the next move. You stick it. You feel good.

Hey! It's working!

And through this method you are learning some important skills, such as the ability to take action, perseverance, mastery over the self, and how to deal with negative emotions

You are learning how to deal with negative emotions. You are learning how to take action even when you don't want to. You are learning perseverance, how to keep going no matter what. You are learning how to look inwards, understand what is going on inside, and how to manage it. You are gaining mastery over the self.

This is a wonderful thing. This is what KaizuQuest is all about.

I hope this article helped you!

Please! If you have your own technique that you would like to share, please leave a comment down below! Your thoughts, your opinions, your experience could help other people. It could make all the difference for them; it could help push them in the right direction, changing their life forever. This is our goal, our mission, our directive.

Have a wonderful day today!

Warm Regards,
Jacob Pugmire