"Replace fear-based thinking with love-based thinking. 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 obesity, 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 obesity can put us in a chronically fearful state of mind. Will I have a 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 obesity and what that could potentially mean were ADDING to my pain. Once I consciously decided to relieve myself of that burden I could better focus on managing my weight." – Member of MyObesityTeam

Here are recent conversations from MyObesityTeam:

• "Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts." This is an ongoing process. Some days will be better than others. Sometimes I will stress eat. Sometimes I won't see progress. But the long haul is worth it in the end. Improving my habits slowly, day by day will make the difference in my health long term."
• "I finally did some something I had been wanting to do for a while. I joined and attended a Weight Watchers meeting. I am so glad I finally had the courage to join and to attend a meeting."
• "Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, I will try again tomorrow."

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.