"Every time you're making a choice, ask yourself if it's going to cultivate the experience of unity and love or the experience of separation and stress." – Deepak Chopra

We all experience fear. When it comes to living with a chronic condition like COPD, fear can manifest in many ways. Sometimes our initial diagnosis gives us fears about our quality of life. Dealing with the realities of our "new normal," with COPD can put us in a chronically fearful state of mind. Will I have fatigue today? Will I be able to attend to my daily tasks pain-free? Fear about outcomes that are beyond our control can facilitate fear taking root.

"I finally came to realize that my fears about having COPD and what that could potentially mean were ADDING to my difficulty breathing. Once I consciously decided to relieve myself of that burden I could better focus on managing my COPD." – Member of MyCOPDTeam

Here are recent conversations from MyCOPDTeam:

• "Has anyone had an MRI? I'm scheduled and afraid I can lay in my back and breath."
• "If you use a nebulizer, how often do you use it and do you use it every day?"
• "My cousin wants me to fly to Florida but I'm afraid to fly. I'm afraid of elevators too. I think I'm claustrophobic what shall I do?"

Dealing with fear will look different for everyone. Sometimes it means arguing with our intrusive thoughts. Sometimes it looks like meditating to clear the mind. How do you stop fear from taking over? Join the conversation below.