How Did I Get Here? Fear-Based Decision Making and Burnout
by Tracy Inscore, Esq., cEFT2, AEFTP
Healing from burnout involves asking three key questions: 1) how did I get here; 2) what patterns are keeping me stuck here; and 3) where do I want to go from here? Although this article focuses mostly on the first question, fear can greatly impact the outcome of all three questions.
How Did You Get Here?
What led you to choose a demanding career or the challenges of entrepreneurship? Although your reasons are likely multi-layered, did fear play a part in your decision? For example, countless people have chosen a profession because of family expectations and pressure, in which case the fear of being rejected or causing disappointment was so strong that it kept them from pursuing a different path.
Many people think of love and fear as just two separate emotions, but they actually represent two entire spectrums of energy or vibration. For example, the love-based spectrum includes emotions such as joy, gratitude and curiosity, while the fear-based spectrum includes feelings of anger, guilt and depression. Neither spectrum is inherently good or bad. Fear is an important part of our survival instinct, and the emotions on the fear spectrum that we've labeled as "negative" can be useful in bringing our attention to issues that need to be resolved.
But, chronic fear wears us down over time. If you're experiencing burnout, fear may have been involved in many of the decisions surrounding your career. I invite you to go back to the younger version of yourself and make a list of the reasons why you chose your current (or most recent profession). Then, see if you identify with any of the following:
Any fears that led to your career choice are likely the same fears that are keeping you stuck in a state of burnout. That’s because the root of these fears—even if you’re not consciously afraid anymore—is still active in your subconscious mind, like malware that is running in the background.
The good news is, identifying these fears gives us a starting point so that we can reduce and gradually eliminate them, one by one. Likewise, if you had love based reasons for choosing your current career path that seem to be lost and long-gone, we can get you back in touch with those reasons and clear any blockages that are preventing you from living in alignment with your true desires!
This is not about seeking any particular outcome--the goal is to be consciously aware of the basis for your decisions, rather than unconsciously allowing fear-based programming to continue to run the show without your knowledge. Without this awareness, our lives can become limited by a lack and scarcity mindset that keeps us small and stuck. Examining our decisions may reveal faulty, fear-based core beliefs, such as:
- There is never enough money (or it could all be taken away from me at any moment) so I must cling tightly to whatever I have
- Hard work is the only way to succeed; money doesn't come easily • My identity, worth and value are tied to my career
- Struggle, sacrifice or pain are virtuous
- I am not worthy, acceptable or lovable exactly as I am
- Mistakes are unacceptable and I will be punished for them • It is wrong or greedy to want things for myself or to put my own feelings first
- It’s hard to find a good job
- I’m easily replaceable
- I will be rejected and abandoned if others do not agree with my decisions
There are countless other core beliefs (many of them subconscious) that you may or may not be aware of. Many of these were likely learned in your family of origin and have continued into adulthood, although they are sneaky and may have changed in the way they show up so that you no longer recognize them. Holding these core beliefs activates a vibration or energy within you that in turn attracts people and experiences that only affirm and reinforce these very beliefs! This is why EFT tapping is so powerful—we can focus on the core belief (and often on the underlying memory that created it) to deal with the fear at its root.
Just because fear-based reasons may have played a part in choosing your career doesn't mean that they have to play a role in keeping you feeling stuck and burnt-out. Even if you choose to stay exactly where you are, I can provide tools
to help you manage both acute and chronic stress so that you can reclaim your power and make decisions from a place of love, not fear.
Book your free burnout strategy session here.
This article reflects the author's personal experience with the alternative healing modality of Emotional Freedom Techniques ("EFT" or "tapping") and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for psychotherapy, professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
