Description

Five Percent Less Fear: A Gentle Guided Exercise

Move Forward Without Overwhelm

You want to do something, but fear keeps getting in the way. Perhaps you’re facing a change, making a decision, trying something unfamiliar, or putting yourself out there. You know what you want—but telling yourself to “just do it” isn’t helping.

You don’t have to conquer the whole fear before you can begin. Starting smaller can help you move toward something you want without having to force yourself into a leap you’re not ready to take.

Small Shift, Big Change

Five Percent Less Fear is a guided relaxation exercise to help you ease fear and make moving forward feel more manageable. You’ll focus on a particular fear or challenge, then be guided through imagining how it would feel to experience a little less fear.

Five percent is a starting point. The purpose is to make change approachable when trying to become fearless—or even substantially less afraid—feels like too much to ask.

This is one of the tools I use in my Restorative Creativity Framework™ to help people reconnect with what they want and find ways past what’s getting in their way.

Why Start Small?

Your amygdala is part of your brain’s alarm system, responding to perceived threats. Big changes can set off that alarm—even when the change is something you want.

The small-step approach starts below the level that feels threatening. Instead of trying to push through fear, you begin with a change small enough to feel manageable, giving yourself room to become more comfortable before taking on more.

What You’ll Get

• A guided relaxation exercise, just under 10 minutes long. You’ll receive two MP3 versions of the same recording—one with subtle music and one without—so you can choose the version that fits you best.
• A short PDF with instructions for using the exercise.

Listen daily, weekly, or whenever fear is getting in the way of something you want to do. You can return to the recording and work with the same fear or a different challenge.

Who This Is For

This exercise is for you if fear is making it difficult to do something that matters to you. That might mean starting a project, sharing your work, making a change, having a conversation, or trying something you’ve wanted to do for years.

The challenge doesn’t have to be creative. You don’t have to be an artist. You just need something you’d like to feel more comfortable doing.

FAQs

How long is the exercise?

Just under 10 minutes. Both audio versions guide you through the same exercise; choose whether you’d prefer music or no music.

Is this a meditation?

It’s a guided relaxation exercise. You’ll listen and follow the guidance, without needing to empty your mind or have any meditation experience.

What if I have a lot of fear?

That’s why we start small. You’re not being asked to tackle the whole fear at once or force yourself into something overwhelming. The exercise helps you begin with a small shift and build from there.

What Participants Say About My Workshops

“A lovely experience that reconnected me to the playfulness and creativity of my childhood. I thought I’d lost touch with this forever in my adulthood, so it was wonderful to be put in contact with this part of me again. Thanks so much, Nancy.” —Maria Ireland

“A delightfully lighthearted workshop where I found my inner child again in a wonderfully freeing way, so that I am now implementing ideas Nancy introduced in her workshop! Fabulous!” —Amy Adams (Photographer)

Give Yourself Permission to Go Slow

You don’t have to become fearless. You want to be able to do the things that matter to you without fear making all the decisions. Starting small gives you somewhere to begin.

Get Five Percent Less Fear for $9.

Includes the guided relaxation recording with and without music, plus the instructions PDF. Download the files and return to them whenever you need them.