“Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.” ~Pema Chodron
Are you as scared as I am?
I’m terrified.
I’m not talking horror movie terrified either. This isn’t the kind of scared where you jump, but then realize it’s just your friend who’s surprised you. This isn’t even the kind of scared when you realize you left your iPhone in a public bathroom.
This is the kind of scared where your gut churns and churns. You feel shaky, hungry, and out of sorts. It’s a visceral, palpable fear.
Who’s Afraid Of the Big Bad… ?
You’re probably wondering what it is that I’m so afraid of. Perhaps my house is haunted? It isn’t. Perhaps I have a stalker? No. Zombie apocalypse? Seriously, I wouldn’t be blogging at a time like that.
I’m scared because I’ve decided to work full time on my own business. It’s a big step to start your own company and even bigger when you decide to do it without a “back-up job” net. If you have any doubts, let me assure you it’s mind numbingly scary.
What if I can’t get clients? What if no one wants to read my blog or my books? What if I fail miserably, pathetically? What if my family and girlfriend abandon me because I have shamed them beyond repair?
Change is Scary
A bit too dramatic? Yes, very much so, but whenever we start to transform our lives it’s scary. Risk and vulnerability are essential qualities of transformation.
Deep and fundamental change requires us to step outside of our comfort zone. The trick is not to step too far out. We need challenge, but we don’t need panic.
Get In The Zones
There are 3 zones that can describe most of our experiences.
1. The Cool Zone. This is where we know the landscape, can predict many outcomes, and function with some sense of ease.
2. The Change Zone. This is where our edges are being pushed, we might feel slightly uncomfortable, and there’s a bit of pressure, but we can handle it.
3. The PANIC ZONE! This zone is all like AHHHHHH!! We are freaked out and we tend to react, shut down, or run away.
Surfing the Waves
The trick to sustainable transformation is to travel from your Cool Zone out to your Change Zone and back.
We step into a challenging circumstance, but then we take a break. We push ourselves to exercise more, but then we give ourselves time to rest. This is the ebb and flow of sustainable transformation.
Gonna’ Take It Right Into the Panic Zone
Unfortunately sometimes our desire for results wins out. We lose sight of this flow and push a little too hard. The next thing we know we’re in the Panic Zone.
This happens when the project of running my own business overwhelms me. My mind gets hazy, my heart races, my palms sweat, and I feel like I’m falling. Perhaps the worst part is I stop being able to take in new information.
When in the Panic Zone we undergo physical, mental, and emotional stress. Because of this we can’t learn very much in the Panic Zone. In addition, spending too much time in our Panic Zone can result in back sliding into old habits, burnout, and illness or injury.
3 Things to Remember
One of the hardest things about a Panic Zone is that your mind runs wild. Your head fills with thoughts that swirl out of control. You have to find a way to ground your thoughts and return to your comfort zone.
To start there are 3 things to remember when you’re in the Panic Zone:
1. Realize and accept that you’re in your Panic Zone. Denying only makes it worse.
2. Remember that everyone goes there from time to time. It’s easy to think you are alone, weak, and somehow inadequate, but you’re not. Being there doesn’t make you anything but human. It’s about what you do when you get there. Which bring us to…
3. Use a grounding technique to center yourself. There are many techniques, but here is my favorite one for getting out of my Panic Zone.
A Panic Zone Exercise
Close your eyes. Take a couple of deep breaths.
Turn your attention to your feet. Describe how your feet feel. You can do this silently, out loud, or by writing it down. The more details you can describe the better. What temperature are your feet? Do the tops of your feet feel the same as the bottoms?
Can you tell what kind of shoes you have on? How? Can you feel where you shoes end? Where your socks end? If you find a solid sensation use it as an anchor. Focus on that one sensation. If it stops working, then move onto another sensation.
This exercise helps us pull energy from our heads into our bodies to slow the spinning mind. It is very effective alone, but even better if you have someone to walk you through it.
Take A Break
Once you are out of your Panic Zone, make sure to rest. Your resources have been depleted and you will need time to recharge your body and heart. It’s very important you be gentle with yourself after a visit to the Panic Zone.
Your brain undergoes chemical and hormonal changes when placed under stress. After a trip to the Panic Zone those changes can endure for several minutes to an hour or more. Make sure to give yourself some extra time before returning to a stressful situation.
Don’t Stop
The Panic Zone shouldn’t stop your deep personal work. Entering your Panic Zone is a good indication that you are starting to make significant change. Once you’ve developed some tools and an awareness of your triggers, you’ll be able to work with it.
I was scared to start my own company and I am still scared to start doing it full-time, but I have been to the Panic Zone and lived to tell the tale. Surviving the Panic Zone gives me confidence that I can meet whatever comes next.
What are your favorite tools to deal with difficult emotions?
Photo by M. Dolly
About Samuel McCree
Samuel "Gentoku" McCree is a Mindful Fitness thought leader, personal trainer, and mindful living coach from Portland, OR. He trained for two years at a Zen monastery, is an endurance athlete, and founder of MindFitMove. You can find his blog and a free Ebook on Your Sexy Brain at mindfitmove.com.
Though I run this site, it is not mine. It's ours. It's not about me. It's about us. Your stories and your wisdom are just as meaningful as mine. 
I know exactly what you are talking about (unfortunately :))! For me, the ticket out of this has been to “Realize and accept that you’re in your Panic Zone”… I’m going against the grain in considering quitting my day job to try other things, and I thought I could not let others see that I was scared. So I put on a brave face and internalized it until it started to feel quite as dramatic as you mentioned. Once I admitted to myself (and publicly) that I am scared, I found I did have the strength to pull through, and pulling through did get a lot easier. Thanks for this beautiful article!
Sometimes, a quick walk or stepping away is what you need to just clear your head. It’s so easy to avoid work and avoid moving forward. But when your head starts to cloud up, go for a walk. It helps get things back on track in your mind. But don’t stop. Keep going after that. Get back to work.
what a great article, samuel. and such good timing. good luck with your business!
What a lovely, insightful article. Thank you for sharing!
This is very helpful
Sam thank you so much for this! I’ve going in and out of the panic zone more than I’d like lately. You make excellent points about being kind to yourself, not trying to fight it, and remembering that everyone feels those feelings at time. Thank you for this. It was something I so needed to hear right now.
Don’t be afraid of failing at your new business venture. I think all entrepreneurs get scared but if you have this kind of wisdom, no matter what the outcome, it sounds like it will be a wonderful journey for you. Congrats on taking steps to follow your dreams.
Great article! I take fear as a good thing, a sign really that, I should definetly go for what I fear. “Life begins where fear ends.” Osho
Sam,
I have recently started my own blog as well as working on starting a microbusiness. I have made some progress, but I hit these walls of panic which cause me to shut down. I was feeling pretty ashamed because I couldn’t understand why I was panicking so much and why I couldn’t seem to make forward progress. Your article made me realize that perhaps I’m pushing myself too hard. No wonder I’ve been feeling so exhausted! It helps to know that other people experience the same thing and that I’m not just a going crazy or letting fear get the best of me. It really is okay to let myself come back to the comfort zone every now and again to recharge. Thanks for sharing!
So thinking about leaving a relationship without a job with no kids with that person and one child with an ex husband and freaking when it comes down to physically leaving would be a panic zone?
Love the way you framed things. It’s not so awful to spend a little time in the panic zone …when you know what it is! Like you and other people in the discussion running my own biz is great, satisfying, and terrifying. I’ve learned to avoid making BIG decisions when I’m in the Panic zone. And to respect the mind-body connection. Panic subsides when I move. The dogs love those days!
Thanks for your comment Sumitha. Its so true admitting fear gives us power to conquer it thanks for reading.
Furry friends are a great way to connect with comfort and ease. They are always in the present moment and nothing can be more nurturing. Thanks for commenting!
A panic zone is defined by each person. Your decision sounds like a tough one. I always try to make good notes and talk to trusted advisors when I have a big choice to make. Their are some other exercises I can recommend as well. Feel free to email me if you’d like to check them out.
Yes avoiding the cloud mr Haze is the key. I agree with you that fear of the Panic Zone can be it’s own hindrance. We have to be willing to go to our edge and even go over it sometimes. When we do we grow our boundaries.
Thanks Nathalie! I’m glad it came at the right time for you.
Fear can be a powerful teacher. The key is to face fear and not get caught in it. When we do get caught we need to reconnect to our own hearts to find a path forward.
Thanks Jen. I appreciate the encouragement. I’m glad you found the post helpful. I hope I can keep offering the wisdom that is offered to me by the universe to others. I hope you learn to ride the panic waves with ease and joy.
Thank you for commenting!
I’m glad you started a blog and microbusiness. This world needs more people doing their own thing. People project that they have it all together but most of us are a little messy under the surface. I hope you can focus on great self care and great courage. We are our most valuable resource.
I’m so happy to hear that!
I feel that this is very true, I give you a big thumbs up, but accepting that you are having a panic attack isn’t the best thing. Really, the mind is so powerful that if you deny it, your body will start to function as if you’re not, And actually help.