"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 heart disease, 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 heart disease 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 heart disease 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 heart disease." – Member of MyHeartDiseaseTeam

Here are recent conversations from MyHeartDiseaseTeam:

• "So the fears are really big for me as well, but I try to just take one day at a time and trust that whatever happens, I will deal with it as best as I can. I do trust my cardiologist, so that helps."
• "I have no chest pain but am very very fatigued on most days. I count my blessings, do what I can and remain cheerful."
• "Life is too precious to ignore it - enjoy it. Enjoy your family and friends. Talk or communicate with them and show that you do care."

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.