Midlife Matters: Diane Amelia Read
Let’s talk about how to overcome fear as women over 50.
If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by the world lately, you’re not alone. The contentious political climate, the constant stream of unsettling news, and the sense that things are spiraling dangerously beyond control can leave even the most grounded among us feeling anxious. And fear is a sneaky creature. It seeps into our thoughts, settles into our bodies, and before we know it, it’s dictating our emotions and actions.
You may find yourself plunged into fear, but you don’t have to stay stuck there, or let fear lurk perpetually in your peripheral vision. As women over 50, we’ve accumulated wisdom, resilience, and a powerful ability to shift perspective. With the right tools, we can stop fear in its tracks and redirect our focus toward empowerment, confidence, and a sense of peace.
“With the right tools, we can stop fear in its tracks and redirect our focus toward empowerment, confidence, and a sense of peace.”
Momentum: Make It Work For You:
Fear, like any emotion, builds momentum. When you start your day feeling anxious … checking the news first thing, doomscrolling, or replaying worries in your mind … that energy gathers speed. Before long, it feels like a runaway train, and you’re emotionally exhausted before breakfast.
So, catch it early. Inspirational speaker Abraham-Hicks teaches that momentum is easiest to shift when it’s just starting. Like a car slipping out of park on a steep San Francisco street, your fearful feelings are easier to stop as they’re just beginning to roll. If you wait until they’ve built up speed, it’s likely you’ll get pancaked at the bottom of the hill.
In addition to reining in negative momentum by stopping it before it snowballs, you can intentionally build positive momentum by focusing on thoughts that soothe, uplift, and empower you.
How To Overcome Fear – Redirect Fearful Thinking:
1. Pivot Your Thoughts In Real Time:
When you feel fear creeping in, catch yourself and ask: What’s another way to look at this? Instead of thinking, “Everything is falling apart,” shift to:
✔️ “I have control over my own actions and energy.”
✔️ “As I go through my day, I”m going to look for positive things.”
✔️ “I can find solutions instead of focusing on problems.”
You don’t have to leap straight to rainbows and butterflies if that feels fake. Just reach for a thought that feels slightly better than the one before.
2. Start Your Day By Resetting Your Emotional GPS:
How you start your day sets a tone that can last for as long as 12 hours. If you begin with stress, that energy gains a foothold. Instead, try a morning routine that shifts your frequency:
✔️ Before getting out of bed, think of three things that feel good.
✔️ Eliminate, or at least limit, news and social media for the first hour of your day.
✔️ Move your body—stretch, take a walk, work out, or dance for five minutes.
By choosing a gentle self-care routine first thing, you set yourself up for a more stable emotional state throughout the day.
3. Use The 17-Second Rule:
Abraham-Hicks teaches that holding a thought for just 17 seconds starts to attract similar thoughts. If you hold a thought for 68 seconds, you create momentum strong enough to shift your emotional state.
Next time you feel fear rising, close your eyes and rif on a thought that brings relief:
✔️ “I am safe in this moment.”
✔️ “There is more love and kindness in the world than fear.”
✔️ “I have navigated challenges before, and I will again.”
By consciously building on these thoughts, you slow the momentum of fear and, with clear eyes, begin building in a new, more empowering direction.
Why This Matters To You:
At this stage in life, we’ve earned wisdom, perspective, and the right to choose our focus. Fear-based narratives don’t serve us. They keep us small, worried, and disconnected from our power. But when we shift our energy and mindset, we become forces of light, not just for ourselves but for those around us.
“When we decide to redirect fear and build positive momentum, we reclaim our emotional freedom.”
Instead of getting swept up in the chaos, we can be the ones who say, Wait a minute. I choose peace. I choose clarity. I choose action from a place of vision, not fear. No need to be reactive, I’m already proactively creating the world I want to live in.
Final Thought – Your Power Lies In Your Focus:
Where attention goes, energy flows. We can’t control the world, but we can control our focus. When we decide to redirect fear and build positive momentum, we reclaim our emotional freedom. That is a radical act of self-love and a powerful beacon.
So the next time fear creeps in, remember: you have the tools. Take a breath. Find a better thought. Shift the momentum. And watch how your day, your world, transforms.
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About the Author:
Diane Amelia Read is an experienced growth partner, health and mindset advisor, stereotype disrupter, and surfer wannabe. She’s a Reiki Master Teacher, podcaster, StreetWise MBA graduate, and samba singer, Law of Attraction mentor, and motivational speaker.
Her mission is to make the world a more loving and interconnected place by helping women love themselves first so they can bring their most joy-filled awesomeness to everyone and everything else without depleting themselves
As a Mind & Body Alchemist For Women Over 50, Diane Amelia’s unique personal transformation toolbox is chock full of options for midlife women ready for sustainable improvement in their health, confidence, mindset, income, community, or all of the above.
