My own personal mantra for these situations is one given to me by Parker Palmer in his excellent book The Courage to Teach. “I can have fear, but I need not be fear” (1998; p. 57). He writes,
“Each time I walk into a classroom, I can choose the place within myself from which my teaching will come, just as I can choose the place within my students toward which my teaching will be aimed. I need not teach from a fearful place: I can teach from my curiosity or hope or empathy or honesty, places that are as real within me as are my fears. I can have fear, but I need not be fear - if I am willing to stand somewhere else in my inner landscape” (p. 57; emphasis added).
- Procrastination: Feeling overwhelmed, helpless and ready to run away | Psychology Today