Sometimes fear keeps us stuck in old routines even if they don’t work for us anymore. The fear of falling could keep someone from exercising, the fear of loss of control could keep us in a home that doesn’t meet our needs and the fear of rejection could keep us from speaking from our heart and having a full life.
Recently, I heard the Rabbi Harold Kushner talk about fear and his new book, Conquering Fear.
One comment he made that resonates for me is, that “rejection destroys a person and is worse than fear. It can destroy a person’s soul”. How we deal with rejection will protect us from having our “soul destroyed”. Rabbi Kushner said, “We need to remember that even the smartest people make mistakes and most important when dealing with rejection, don’t deal with this yourself – get professional help”.
Don’t let fear or rejection keep you or an aging family member stuck, talk it through with a Licensed Therapist and if you are an elder, a Professional Geriatric Care Manager who is also a licensed therapist is your best guide to assist you with some “re-framing” so you can live life to its fullest. We have but one life and each of us should have a life of quality not just quantity.
