Choose a small, manageable hesitation: asking a simple question, trying an unfamiliar activity, or beginning a task you have postponed. Leave major loss, health fears and traumatic memories outside this exercise.
Feel your feet on the ground. Look around. Notice where you are now.
Bring the small situation to mind. What does your mind predict will happen?
Does it offer an image, a sentence, a feeling, or several things at once?
Notice any bodily response without trying to produce one.
What risk is present? What information is missing? What practical preparation would help?
Fear can concern a real danger, an uncertain outcome or anticipated discomfort. You do not have to dismiss it or obey it immediately.
What is one small step that fits the actual situation and what matters to you?
It might be asking for information, practicing with someone, postponing a decision, saying no, or trying a manageable action.
You may be able to act with some fear present. You do not have to prove courage by taking an unnecessary risk.
Let the imagined situation rest. Notice the room and the support beneath you.
Ask: what did the fear predict, and what would I need to know before choosing my next step?
This practice is one of seventeen in the book.
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