Fear Management Workbook

Let’s make this concrete. You’ll complete one full Fear Map for a real situation you’ve faced recently. Pick something manageable - something you can recall without spiraling.

Your Turn: Single-Moment Fear Map 1. Pick a specific moment from the last 7 days where fear showed up. Choose one you can describe in a sentence (example: “When a customer complained,” or “Before I walked into the gym.”). 2. Write the Trigger in one line: What happened right before fear started? Include the setting (where) and the event (what). 3. List 1-3 Body Signals you noticed. Use “where + sensation” (example: “throat tight,” “hands sweaty,” “stomach drop”). 4. Capture the Thought exactly as it appeared. Don’t “fix” it - write it straight. 5. Rate Fear Intensity (0-10). If it’s hard to rate, choose the closest number and move on. 6. Add a quick “Next Action” you did because of fear. Examples: avoided the call, kept talking too fast, checked your phone, froze, left early.

Completed example (so you know what “done” looks like): > Fear Map Example > Trigger: Customer asked, “So… what’s taking so long?” while I was in the shop with the clock running. > Body Signals: chest tight; jaw clenched; hands got shaky. > Thought: “I’m going to mess up and I’ll lose the customer.” > Fear Intensity (0-10): 7/10 > Next Action: I rushed my explanation and avoided making eye contact.

Check your completion criteria (don’t skip this): You’re finished with this exercise when you have filled in all five lines: Trigger, Body Signals (1-3), Thought, Fear Intensity (0-10), and Next Action.

Fear Map Page (copy and fill) - Trigger (what happened right before fear?): _______________________________________________________________ - Body Signals (where + sensation, 1-3): _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ - Thought (what your mind said): _____________________________________________________________ - Fear Intensity (0-10): __ /10 - Next Action (what you did because of fear): _______________________________________________________________

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Apply It: Spot Your Pattern in Everyday Situations

Now that you’ve mapped one moment, you’ll use the same structure in real life - quickly. The goal isn’t to analyze for an hour. It’s to recognize the chain while it’s happening or right after. A good rule: map within 5 minutes of the event if you can. If you wait too long, the details blur and your body signals get lost.

Scenario 1: Small business call (like a customer update). Trigger might be: “Customer asks for a status update and doesn’t sound patient.” Body signals might be: “stomach drop, faster breathing.” Thought might be: “I’m about to get blamed.” Expected outcome after mapping: you’ll catch the pattern early next time - usually before you start rushing or avoiding. Even if fear still shows up, you’ll know what it’s attached to, and that makes it easier to choose a steadier response.

Scenario 2: Gym or training (performance pressure). Trigger could be: “Someone watches while I set up my weights.” Body signals could be: “heat in face, shaky legs.” Thought could be: “They’ll judge me; I’ll fail.” Expected outcome: you’ll stop treating the fear as “I’m just bad at this” and start seeing it as a repeatable chain you can interrupt. That interruption might look like taking one slower breath, using your plan, or reminding yourself of the thought you already wrote down.

Scenario 3: Plumbing or worksite safety (tight deadlines). Trigger might be: “A client stands close while you’re diagnosing a problem,” or “A deadline feels impossible.” Body signals might be: “tight shoulders, irritability,” or “mind going blank.” Thought might be: “If I don’t fix it now, I’ll be in trouble.” Expected outcome: you’ll identify whether fear is driving you to rush, skip steps, or avoid asking questions - then you can make a different choice (like double-checking a part or confirming next steps before moving).

Your Turn: Two quick maps (same format, different triggers) 1. Choose one fear moment in a work setting and one in a personal setting. 2. Fill out the Fear Map lines for each one using the same Trigger → Body → Thought → 0-10 structure. 3. When you’re done, underline the thought that shows up most often (even if the trigger is different).

Fear Map #2 - Trigger: _____________________________________________________ - Body Signals: _____________________________________________ - Thought: __________________________________________________ - Fear Intensity (0-10): __ /10 - Next Action: ______________________________________________

Fear Map #3 - Trigger: _____________________________________________________ - Body Signals: _____________________________________________ - Thought: __________________________________________________ - Fear Intensity (0-10): __ /10 - Next Action: ______________________________________________

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Reflect and Plan Your Next Trigger List

You’ve started building your “Fear Map trail,” and now you’ll turn it into something you can reuse: a Trigger List. Your Trigger List is not a list of worries. It’s a list of events and situations that reliably kick off your fear chain. When you can name your triggers, you can prepare for the body response and catch the thought earlier.

Your Turn: Create a mini Trigger List (from your maps) 1. Look at your completed maps and write down the triggers that showed up. 2. Keep them short enough to use quickly (example: “customer impatience,” “someone watching,” “deadline pressure”). 3. Write at least 3 triggers, and circle the one that causes the highest Fear Intensity so far.

Trigger List (fill at least 3) 1. ______________________________________________________________ 2. ____________________________________________________________ 3. ____________________________________________________________ 4. (Optional) _____________________________________________________

Circle this one: ________________________________________________

Reflect (specific questions, with room to write): 1. What trigger shows up most often for you, even when the situation looks a little different? ________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

2. For your highest Fear Intensity moment, what body signal appeared first (the earliest thing you noticed)? ________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

3. If you could stop one part of the chain - Trigger, Body Signal, or Thought - which would be easiest to interrupt next time, and why? ________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

As you fill these in, you’re building a personal “fear weather report.” Next, you’ll use your maps and Trigger List to spot patterns faster - and then choose a response that doesn’t just react to fear. For now, your job is simple: name the chain clearly, and keep it real.

End of chapter one. 6 more chapters in the full book.