Name Your Fear, Reclaim Your Power 🧠💥

We grow up learning to label the world around us:

🕊️ “That thing in the sky? It’s a bird.”

🌤️ “That event? Good or bad.”

🧠 “My personality? IXXX.”

Labelling becomes second nature. It helps us understand, navigate, and categorise our world.

But here’s the twist — while labels give us clarity, they can also box us in.

🔖 “I’m introverted.”

Great to know. But does that mean you’ll stop growing socially?

Labels can explain. But they can also limit — if we let them.

So… what if we use this labelling tendency to our benefit?

🎯 Use Labels to Liberate, Not Limit

Think of that moment when you went to the doctor for a weird, lingering symptom.

You didn’t even care if it was serious — you just wanted a name.

And when the doctor finally said,

“Oh, that’s just [insert condition], totally treatable.”

You felt relieved, right?

Why?

Because the unknown felt heavier than the actual problem.

Once it was named — you could deal with it.

😰 The Fog of Unnamed Fear

Life is full of emotional “weird symptoms” too — like dread, hesitation, or avoidance — all rooted in unnamed fears.

And until we name them, we stay stuck in the fog.

Let’s break this down with a few examples:

🧍‍♀️ Self

“I don’t feel like going to the gym anymore.”

🤔 Name the fear:

“I’m afraid I won’t see results and it’ll feel like a waste of effort.”

🎯 Now that it’s named, you can address it. Maybe you shift focus from outcome to consistency, or get a coach to help you reset your plan.

💼 Career

“I don’t feel like changing jobs right now.”

🤔 Name the fear:

“I’m afraid of the LeetCode interviews again.”
Or: “I’m afraid I won’t find a better boss than this one.”

🎯 Now you know exactly what to prepare for. Is it skill sharpening? Confidence building? Or reevaluating what better means?

💞 Love Life

“I’m anxious about meeting someone I’ve been chatting with online.”

🤔 Name the fear:

“I’m afraid they’ll be disappointed when they see the real me.”

🎯 There it is. You’re not afraid of them. You’re afraid of rejection. But now that you see it clearly, you can work on owning your worth — without apology.

👨‍👩‍👧 Family

“I don’t want to go to the family gathering.”

🤔 Name the fear:

“I’m afraid people will ask about my life, and I don’t feel proud of it.”

🎯 Honesty helps you choose wisely — maybe you go with a plan to redirect topics, or maybe you skip it without guilt.

🤝 Friendship

“I haven’t reached out to that old friend for a while.”

🤔 Name the fear:

“I’m scared it’s been too long and it’ll be awkward.”

🎯 Now you know. You’re not bad at friendships — you just need a soft way back in. And that starts with one text.

🕯️ Name It to Tame It

By naming the fear, you make the invisible visible.

And when something’s visible, it’s no longer in control. You are.

So ask yourself:

“What’s one thing I’ve been avoiding lately?”

Then ask again:

“What’s the fear behind that?”

You might be surprised how freeing the answer feels.

🪞Your Turn

What’s something you’ve been avoiding?

Try naming the fear behind it.

You might just find your next step forward 💡