How to Turn Scary into Cute
Oct 14, 2022
Well, it’s been over a year since my rescue dog MoMo arrived from Korea.
It’s incredible how she continued to improve from a scared little dog into a sweet and loving dog who learned to trust me and her new life. Even with the blossoming of her playful personality, I realized that she carries the anxiety from her past life with her at all times. Here’s an example… she learned how to go up and down the stairway of our third-floor condo like a champ. Then starting a week ago, she became so scared of the stairs that she continued to pull away with all her might.
MoMo is no different than me. We who harbor fear and anxiety from our childhood experiences will never forget them, no matter how long we live. I know that memories of living through the war in Japan had their toll. I’m scared even to watch movies with violence or sad endings. I remember shortly after I arrived in the US from Japan, I had to face a scary holiday called Halloween. On that day, my cousins took me to a haunted house and bought tickets to go on the tour. Not knowing what it was, I stepped into the dark house and, oh my gosh, I had the worst experience of my life. I was scared stiff, chilled to my bones! What scared me was the flashing red lights, creaking and howling noises, hanging skeletons, and flying bats. That incident left a scar in my memory, and I get fearful when Halloween creeps up on me every year. All I could think about was being inside the dark, chilly haunted house. I'm not kidding you; I get goosebumps on my arms!
Watching MoMo being fearful over things made me decide that I have to get over my fears before I can help her overcome her anxieties.
Here are my six successful mental habits to defeat fear, worry, and anxiety.
- Don't figure things out yourself … share your feelings with a friend.
- Be real with how you feel.
- Be OK with some things being out of your control.
- Practice self-care.
- Focus on positive thoughts, and get away from how it is to how it can be.
- Make cute things! I practice daily drawing and coloring Kawaii (cute) animals, flowers, cupcakes, and people.
Take a look at one of my daily art practices ... Kawaii art I made to help MoMo and me not to be afraid of goblins, ghosts, and bats.
I don't think MoMo and I are the only ones who fear things. Are there things in life that bring anxiety and fear in life? I'd love to hear from you.
I will send you another email tomorrow with the Kawaii a
