MMS_CouragePlaybook_Audio
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[00:00:00] Dr. Julia Bowlin: Fear is a biological highlighter. It marks the pages of your life that matter the most if you rip the pages out because they're uncomfortable. You never get to read the best chapters of your life.
[00:00:20] Welcome back to the Mindset Medicine Show. I'm Dr. Julia Bowlin and I'm a physician, author, hypnotherapist, and the founder of Personal Awareness Medicine. And this is the place where we cut through the noise, flip fear to fuel and rewire the way you think so you can live happy, healthy, and more fulfilled.
[00:00:37] So let me ask you this. What do you do when fear shows up? Do you freeze? Do you fumble? Do you start negotiating with yourself like you're a hostage in your own brain? Here's the truth that most people don't wanna admit. Fear isn't the enemy. It's energy, raw, potent, primal energy, and you've got two choices.
[00:00:58] Let it paralyze [00:01:00] you or learn how to plug it in, like rocket fuel. Today, I'm handing you the Courage Playbook, practical Strategies, real Life Stories, and a couple of my few favorite hypnotherapy tools to help you stop avoiding fear and start using it to sharpen your edge. But here's the deal. Every bold move you've ever made, whether in your career, your relationships, or your health wasn't made in the absence of fear, it was made in the presence of fear.
[00:01:27] That's what makes it courageous. So buckle up. We're about to flip your fear script once and for all. Fear gets a bad rap. We've been conditioned to believe that fear means that something is wrong, but what if fear is actually a neon sign that says that you are on the edge of growth? It's a signal. Think about it.
[00:01:47] When you were a kid and you learned to ride a bike, you were terrified you'd fall. That fear wasn't a stop sign. It was your body saying, this matters. This is important. Pay attention. And here's the reframe. Fear [00:02:00] equals focus. And when fear shows up before you make a bold decision, whether it's switching careers, speaking up in a meeting, or even setting boundaries with your family, it's a signal that moving this scenario, this energy matters.
[00:02:15] Your nervous system doesn't waste energy on things that don't count. When I left 31 years of family medicine, my fear was deafening. I was thinking, what if I failed? What if I wasn't enough outside of the exam room? What if my entire identity collapsed? I'd been taking care of patients in my hometown for a very long time.
[00:02:37] I was like almost falling apart, but instead of shutting it all down, I suddenly realized that this fear was my indicator line. It was something I knew I needed to lean into. And finally I had to ask what was it trying to show me? And I realized it meant that I was exactly where I needed to be at the edge of my transformation.[00:03:00]
[00:03:01] Here's your first play in the Courage Playbook. Don't ask, how do I get rid of this fear? But instead ask, what is this fear telling me that matters most right now? Now, let's stretch this. Most people treat fear like a bully in the hallway. They put their head down, they avoid eye contact. They hope it goes away.
[00:03:22] But fear is actually more like a loud coach on the sidelines. It's yelling because the game matters. If you numb it, you dodge it, or pretend you don't hear it, you're gonna miss the very play that you're supposed to run. So next time you feel that knot in your stomach or your heart racing, try this instead.
[00:03:40] Just pause for 10 seconds. Put your hand on your chest or your gut, wherever you feel it, and say out loud, this fear means I care. This fear means I'm alive, and this fear means I'm on the edge of something important. When you turn fear into focus, you reclaim control. Fear [00:04:00] stops being the enemy to conquer and now becomes a compass to follow.
[00:04:05] All right. I wanna talk a little bit about hypnotherapy because it's just a method of guiding your subconscious mind to rewrite patterns and responses. So instead of reacting automatically, you create new possibilities intentionally. So I wanna walk something with you kind of slowly, and we're gonna do this together.
[00:04:23] If it's safe to shut your eyes, you're not operating machinery or a car or an automobile, and you feel in a safe environment, go ahead and shut your eyes. Take three. Slow deep breaths in your nose out through your mouth.
[00:04:50] And one more, each exhale is like letting go of a tight grip of fear that fear has in your body. So once you just breathe [00:05:00] it out. Now scan your body. Where do you feel fear? Maybe it's your chest tightening your jaw, clenching your stomach, twisting. Don't judge it, just notice it. I want you to visualize this fear.
[00:05:17] I want you to imagine it as a shape, a color, or even an object. Maybe it's heavy like a brick. Maybe it's like a red light. Let it take form. Visualize your fear, the shape, the color. Now shift the symbol. See the symbol, transforming into a forward pointing arrow, glowing with light and picture it, moving you towards something that you want and not blocking you.
[00:05:50] I want you to anchor this and I want you to say something out loud. This is not danger. This is direction. This is [00:06:00] not weakness. It's willingness. Now, step into that arrow in your mind's eye. See yourself walking right into that arrow, moving towards the thing that you've been afraid of, and feel the fear shift into forward energy, like adrenaline is pushing you towards this act of change.
[00:06:23] All right. When you're able, go ahead and open your eyes. This works because your subconscious mind is wired to react to images faster than logic. So by changing fear from a threat into a tool, literally redesigning it into an arrow, you're flipping the switch from freezing to flowing. It's a mental shortcut that tells your nervous system that, Hey, this is safe, this is power, and we're gonna keep moving.
[00:06:49] So your next time you're feeling fear, you're going to imagine a shape, a color, the heaviness, and then you're going to shift it into an arrow, moving it [00:07:00] forward if this is a goal that you want to attain. So how are we gonna turn fear into fuel? Well, here's a little bit of the science behind courage. Most people think courage is the absence of fear and they're completely wrong.
[00:07:14] Courage is fear mobilized. I'll say that again. Courage is fear mobilized. So I wanna break that down a little bit from a brain body perspective. 'cause when you understand what's really happening under the hood, you can stop being afraid of fear itself. When fear shows up on your body in this sympathetic nervous system, that's the fight, flight or freeze, that's your amygdala.
[00:07:38] It's an almond shape. Smoke alarm in the middle of your brain, sending out an alert signal saying, Hey man, something big is happening here. But here's the kicker. Your body releases adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol, causing your heart to rate, to spike, your breathing, to quicken your muscles to tense, your blood sugar to rise, and your body to literally prepare you [00:08:00] for action.
[00:08:01] That's not weakness, folks, that's horsepower. Think of fear as rocket fuel that launches astronauts. Without it, the shuttle doesn't leave the ground. And here's where most people get stuck. They misinterpret the signals. The racing heart means, oh, I might be in danger. The sweaty palms mean, oh, I'm not ready.
[00:08:24] The dry mouth means I might fail, but those signals could mean racing heart. I care deeply about this moment. Sweaty palms. My body's charging up for a performance. That dry mouth, I'm on the edge of growth. Fear is a biological highlighter. It marks the pages of your life that matter the most if you rip the pages out because they're uncomfortable.
[00:08:51] You never get to read the best chapters of your life, and I think this is really, really important. [00:09:00] Think about speaking in public. Most people fear it more than death. This has been proven. Your body floods adrenaline, your hands shake, your knees wobble, your voice cracks. That same cocktail of chemicals is actually what Olympic athletes feel before competition.
[00:09:18] So what's the difference? They label it as excitement. You might label it as terror. Do you see the power of that label? Your subconscious listens to your words that you attach. I'd like to do another hypnotherapy technique. I call this relabeling, and here's the definition again, hypnotherapy is just rewiring your subconscious brain and trying to avoid its unconscious programming, and here's how to use it.
[00:09:46] If you notice that your fierce response is heart racing, sweaty palms, and butterflies, then you can say out loud or in your head. This is exciting. This is energy that's preparing me for something, [00:10:00] and then visualize yourself performing really well. See the energy moving through you, not against you, and then anchor this phrase.
[00:10:12] This means I'm ready. All right, so you're feeling your heart rate, your sweaty pump, and your butterflies. You say to yourself, this is excitement. This energy is preparing. Then you see the energy moving through you, and then you say, this means I'm ready. This works because a subconscious does not distinguish between fear and excitement.
[00:10:33] They feel the same in the body, but consciously relabeling it. You're giving your brain a new script. The same sensations, but now it's coated as fuel, not foe. All right? Science proves it. Fear isn't a defect, it's a design. Your body is built to rise. When the stakes are high and courage isn't shutting down, the fear response is writing it.[00:11:00]
[00:11:03] If stress and overwhelm or that relentless inner critic has been running the show, it's time to take back control. You don't need another motivational quote or a feel good pep talk. You need a system, a tool, something that actually works when life gets messy. That's exactly why I created mindset medicine worksheets.
[00:11:19] No fluff, no filler, just proven strategies that are powerfully designed to help you rewire your thoughts for clarity and confidence. Break the cycle of overwhelm in minutes. Set boundaries that stick without guilt and turn stress into focus and action. This isn't about theory, it's about real transformation.
[00:11:37] And the best part is each episode of this podcast comes with a worksheet designed specifically for what you're learning today. No more wondering how to apply this. It's all mapped out for you. And if you're ready to stop spitting your wheels and start making real shifts, grab today's worksheet below because life's too short to stay stuck.
[00:11:55] Check out the episode specific worksheet in today's podcast. Show notes below. [00:12:00] The link is right there for you.
[00:12:07] What if every time you felt afraid, instead of saying, I can't, you asked yourself, Ooh, what's possible for me right now with this much energy in my system? That's how fear becomes fuel, folks. That's how you sharpen your edge. This play in the Courage Playbook is. Acknowledging fear isn't weakness. It's a weight training program for your courage muscle.
[00:12:31] And like any good workout, you need a set of moves that keep you growing without burning out. So here's the Courage Playbook, broken down into four powerful plays. Play number one, flipping the script. Fear says you can't, you answer. Well, watch me, big guy. Instead of letting fear narrate your story, hijack the script.
[00:12:53] You can write down the exact sentence that the fear is feeding you. Your fear is telling you, I'm going to fail. [00:13:00] Maybe this presentation or in this meeting, they're gonna laugh at me or I'm not ready. So then cross that crap out and rewrite it and say, I'm gonna deliver value. They're gonna lean in. I am so ready.
[00:13:13] You're not erasing fear, you're editing the script behind it. And guess what? You are the author. Here's play number two in the playbook. You wanna shrink that monster. Fear is like a shadow and it looks massive until you shine the light on it. So take whatever feels overwhelming and break it into the smallest, dumbest step possible.
[00:13:39] Don't tell yourself I need to change my whole career. Tell yourself I need to send that one email. Big difference. That monster gets smaller every time. You cut it into bite-sized pieces. Small steps create momentum and momentum. Silences fear that folks will shrink the monster. Play number [00:14:00] three. It's the courage, breathing.
[00:14:01] It's a hypnotherapy technique that really does work. Here's a tool right out of the subconscious toolkit. Sit up tall, one hand on your heart, one hand on your belly, and inhale slowly for the count of four, imagining your breathing courage into your body. Then you're gonna hold it for four seconds, letting the courage expand like a balloon in your chest, and then you're gonna exhale for six seconds.
[00:14:29] Imagining fear leaving your body like smoke again. One hand on your heart, one hand on your belly. Inhaling slowly for the count of four seconds. Imagining. Courage, breathing in, holding it for four, allowing the courage to expand and then exhaling for six seconds. Imagining fear leaving your body. We do this three times, and on that last round, say to yourself, I'm not fierce prisoner.
[00:14:58] I'm fierce [00:15:00] commander, and this works because deep rhythmic breathing tells your subconscious that you're safe. If you pair it with a visualization, you are literally rewiring the fear response into calm strength. Fear stops running you. When you do this, you start running it. Big, big difference. Play number four.
[00:15:22] This is the Future cast. You're casting out your victory. Your imagination is fear's favorite playground. It will drag you into the worst scenario if you let it. So flip it, close your eyes. See yourself on the other side of the decision you're trying to make. Feel the satisfaction of acting boldly. Here are the applause, the relief in your heart, or even just the quiet pride in your own chest.
[00:15:49] Fear is a rehearsal for disaster. Courage is a rehearsal for success. Which script do you wanna practice? [00:16:00] Fear as the rehearsal for disaster or courage as the rehearsal for success. All right, we've talked about the plays. Now let's get real. Because courage isn't built in theory, it's forged in a messy gun punch moments of our lives.
[00:16:18] For over three decades, I wore a white coat. Family medicine was my identity, my comfort, my zone, and let's be honest, my cage, when I started feeling the pole to leave, the fear was deafening. My thoughts were, who am I without this? What if I fail outside these walls? What are people gonna say about me walking away?
[00:16:39] That fear wasn't just a whisper, it was a full blown siren. But here's what I recognized. That intensity meant that decision mattered. It was important to me. My body wasn't trying to sabotage me. It was spotlighting the threshold of transformation and walking away was terrifying. [00:17:00] But on the other side, I found my real voice, my calling and mindset medicine and hospice medicine, and the freedom to impact people differently beyond the exam room.
[00:17:12] So here's a takeaway. Fear isn't proof that you're on the wrong path. Sometimes it's a confirmation that you're standing exactly where you're supposed to do on the edge of your next chapter. Fear takes on a whole new dimension when someone you love is battling for their life. When my husband Rick was first diagnosed with Tonsor cancer, the fear nearly swallowed me.
[00:17:35] Panic attacks nights outside crying. My instinct as a physician though, was to fix it. My instinct as a wife was to protect him, but here's the gut truth. I couldn't fix his cancer, and every time I tried to control his journey, green smoothies, alternative therapies, acupuncture, sound healing, he pushed me back because it was his journey, not mine.[00:18:00]
[00:18:00] The fear for me was loud. What if I lose him? What if we don't have enough time? But I had to learn to use that fear as fuel, not as a way to micromanage his path, but to lean into love and presence and support in a new way that was different than my modus opera. Courage sometimes means letting go. It means sitting in the fire of uncertainty without needing to control an outcome.
[00:18:27] Fear in my case, has sharpened me as a witness, not a fixer. That was really new for me, and that shift changed our marriage, our connection, and my understanding of true courage. Let's rewind. In my younger years, I was a gymnast and a diver and a perfectionist in a Leo, tartar or swimsuit. Every time I practiced, fear showed up.
[00:18:50] What if I slipped on the beam? What if I smacked the water wrong? What if I wasn't flawless? Fear made my body shake. It also sharpened my focus. [00:19:00] It made me present, and every time I landed a routine, despite the fear, I built a tiny layer of courage. Courage is built in repetition, not in once in a lifetime leap.
[00:19:12] Every small act of bravery, showing up to practice, trying it again, pushing through fears, it adds up. Fear trained me to perform, and that skill fuels me today. Let me share you another story. I've mentioned this before, but it might make you laugh and cry at the same time. My mom in her eighties has broken bones.
[00:19:34] Many of them suffered falls. Many of them, and every doctor, including me, tells her to use a walker. But does she? Absolutely not. She says, I don't need it. I'm fine. Fear is driving her. Fear of looking weak, fear of losing independence, fear of being seen as old. And here's the irony, the very thing that could keep her [00:20:00] safe.
[00:20:00] She's resisting out of fear. Courage sometimes isn't about doing more. It might you be about facing the truth. Sometimes the bravest choice is accepting help, changing patterns, or doing the thing that your pride resists. I don't know what to say about that. But we're all different and sometimes we have to respect that.
[00:20:20] I've sat with families whose loved ones have chosen the bottle, the needle, or the chaos over family dinners and reconciliation. I've watched people, I love you, love, choose destruction over connection. And sometimes that's the hardest fears to face. I remember sitting across a family member who said, why won't they just stop?
[00:20:44] Why don't they love us enough to quit? I had to say it's not about love. It's about fear. Fear of feeling pain, fear of facing it themselves, and maybe fear of being unmasked. Courage isn't only [00:21:00] just for making bold moves. Sometimes the ones of watching, loving and letting go. Fear can break up families, but courage can hold space, set boundaries, and still choose love without self-destruction.
[00:21:15] Fear wears many different masks. The mask of identity when you leave your career. The mask of feeling helpless when your partner is sick. The mask of perfectionism when you're a young gymnast. The mask of pride when an aging parent resists help, and the mask of escape when addiction runs the. Every one of those stories.
[00:21:38] The edge was fear and the invitation was courage. Here's your playbook. Look at your own life. Where is fear showing up right now in your career, in your relationships, your health? And what if instead of fighting it, you treated it like a compass pointed towards what matters most for you. [00:22:00] Here's a recap.
[00:22:01] Fear isn't the enemy, it's the edge, and when you stop running it. You'll stop running with it. Let's recap the courage playbook that you now have in your hands. Flipping the script rewrite fierce story that you are the author. Shrinking the monster. Break down the big, big things and into small, doable steps.
[00:22:24] The courage breath by rewiring your body in the moment. Exhaling fear, inhaling power. And future casting the victory, rehearsing the future, not rehearsing disaster. And we didn't just talk theory here, we put it into practice. You learned how to reframe fear as focus. You practice a guided induction to turn fear from a wall into an arrow, literally stepping into the arrow and moving forward.
[00:22:51] You anchored a new breathing technique to flip your nervous system from panic to power. Fear showed up in my stories, leaving medicine, [00:23:00] facing my husband's cancer, and competing as a gymnast and watching my mom resist her walker and seeing loved ones choose addiction in every case. Fear wasn't the roadblock, it was the invitation, the edge.
[00:23:12] So here's my challenge to you. Don't wait for fear to disappear. That's not courage. That's avoidance. Folks, the next time fear tightens your chest or keeps you awake at 3:00 AM stop asking why me? And start asking, what is this fear trying to show me that matters most that I need to do to move forward?
[00:23:31] Write it down, say it out loud, then run the play. Because courage isn't a gift that people were born with. It's a muscle and you've got everything you need now to train it. If this episode lits you on fire, I want you to hear it. I want you to listen to it, share, comment, give it to a friend. Help me reach my goal of a hundred people in a hundred days.
[00:23:53] Your voice matters here because together we're building a movement of people who choose courage over comfort. And [00:24:00] don't forget, you can grab this free this week's free exercise and worksheet. Check out the show notes and until later, I'm Dr. Julia Bolen. Be happy, be healthy and be fulfilled.
[00:24:17] Thank you for listening to Mindset Medicine with your host, Dr. Julia Bowlin. To learn more about mindset medicine, go to www.juliabowlinmd.com and connect with Dr. Julia to find out how our team can help you today. Join us again next week for more expert tips, tools, and strategies to become healthier, wealthier, and wiser in your personal and professional life.
