This week’s Blog, The Firewalk Journey: Transforming Fear into Power, is written by guest blogger Zoe Carroll. I met Zoe when I was looking for a sports performance coach for my Greenland Half Marathon. I was scared about the whole thing, and Zoe worked with me to set up strategies to deal with my butterflies and self-doubt. Two years later, I still use those strategies when I am having a wobble!
I knew Zoe would be the perfect person to write about overcoming your fears when faced with the Firewalk.
What is in today’s Blog – It is the last in our Firewalking Blog mini-series:
- Welcome the Fireflies: Strategies to overcome your nerves on the night of the Firewalk with Guest Blogger Zoe Carroll
- Click here for Blog 1 8 Reasons to Get Involved in Charity Events
- Click here for Blog 2 20 Outdoor Fundraising Ideas
- Click here for Blog 3 18 Indoor Fundraising Ideas
- Sign Up Link: Book your space on the Firewalk.
Welcoming the Fireflies
It was finally my turn.
I had reached the front of the queue of excited firewalkers. Before me lay a channel of fire—red-hot embers smouldering at almost a thousand degrees. I could feel the intensity of the heat on my face and my heart beating in my chest. Around me, faces illuminated by the orange glow looked wild, and the whooping cheers were intoxicating.
I’d signed up for the firewalk months before. I’d raised funds for the charity and was excited to be taking part. But as the day drew nearer, a familiar sense of dread began creeping into the corners of my thoughts.
My mind began asking me questions about the safety of walking over extremely hot surfaces, whether I could back out, and, most surprisingly, what I should wear. I even started to worry about where I’d park, what the traffic would be like getting there, and all manner of unrelated worries about the day itself began to swirl around my mind.
I smiled. I recognised this worry. These nervous feelings are a sign that I’m about to try something new or take on a new adventure.
If you’ve been feeling nervous, or you’re worried that you might feel nervous before your firewalk, it’s OK. Getting nervous before a challenge is normal. And better than that, it’s a really positive sign that your body is as ready as your mind is to take part in the event.
Despite the feeling making you want to run for the hills, once you understand what’s really happening, you might change your mind and embrace the feelings.
We are used to viewing feeling anxious as something negative. Something that we want to reduce or avoid. But, your body is simply getting you ready for exciting things. Try thinking of these feelings as ‘activation’ rather than anxiety.
It’s a natural response to things that you are excited about, or things that are important to you. Sometimes we need our body to respond like this in order to run away from a threat (you might have heard of the flight/fight system) but this isn’t its only purpose.
Your body’s ability to ramp up performance has another, altogether more exciting, and all too often overlooked purpose: It prepares you to perform at your absolute best.
If you needed to run away from a threat, you want your body to put all its resources into that escape. When you want to run your personal best in a race, you still want your body to be ‘all in’ and run at your ability’s limit. And when you’re taking on a challenge like walking across hot coals, you want your body to be ‘all in’ to get you across, too.
Once you know that the feeling of having butterflies, a sense of dread or a knot in the pit of your stomach, your racing heartbeat or your sweaty palms are your body responding to your wishes to do well, rather than an unwelcome dose of fear hijacking you, you can take steps to use your body’s response to do your best work.
If you feel nerves in your body as you prepare for your firewalk, remember that this is simply your body showing you that you’re ready to take those steps.
The ‘anxiety’ that you might be feeling in your body is your body and mind warming up together and getting activated, so that when you reach the start of the line and it’s your turn to walk across the burning embers, your body is ready to go! You’ll be able to relax and enjoy the full experience of your incredible endeavour.
If thinking about your firewalk is making your stomach flip, lean into that feeling. Remember it’s just your body getting ready to get you safely across the walk of your life.
Use this simple process to relieve the uncomfortable feelings and perform at your best.
Here is how to use your firewalk journey and transform fear into power.
- Welcome the butterflies – or, as you’re a firewalker, I like to think of them as fireflies!
- Smile.
- Remember that you are having this feeling because what you are going to do is important to you and you can do it.
- Relax your shoulders.
- Breathe slowly through your nose, letting your tummy expand as you breathe.
- Remember why you’re taking part in your firewalk and how great it will feel to have completed it.
- Trust yourself to perform brilliantly.
Your firewalk will be over in a few seconds. Make sure you enjoy it as much as you can by using these techniques to stay relaxed and calm to make this an event to remember for the rest of your life. You’ll be sipping fizz and basking in the glow of achieving something truly remarkable before you know it.
To find out more about Zoe:
Zoé Carroll is a wellbeing and performance coach who specialises in helping people navigate anxiety and life transitions so that they can enjoy life more.
You can find her at: Facebook zoe@zoecarroll.com
We looking forward to meeting you on Friday, 18th October
It’s time for Tea and Biscuits!
Thank you for reading today’s Blog on The Firewalk Journey: Transforming Fear into Power. If you have any recommendations please add them in the comments below.