When I was in the eighth grade, my science teacher told us there was no such thing as cold. He went on to say that what we perceived as cold was just an absence of heat. It's funny what we remember from all those years sitting in a classroom.

The same principle can be applied to what we tend to perceive as fear. Look no further than our major religions, wisdom teachings, mindset management practices, or the advice given by professional trainers and coaches. I'm sure you'll find them all extolling this same basic axiom. Rather than heat, where fear's concerned, what's missing can be described as confidence, knowledge, security, intuition, faith, love, or just a belief that all is as it should be.

Yet in these times of economic and political uncertainty, when the airwaves are full of messages of gloom and doom (hey, it sells ad space better than hope), and when our leaders are fanning fear's flame to keep our attention focused on their agenda, how can we get back in touch with what's real?

Five things you can do right now to transform unproductive fears:

(1) Get away for a while, literally or emotionally. Take a long weekend away from TVs, radios, phones, e-mail and news. If you can't literally get away, stay home and don't turn the TV on, don't read the headlines and don't talk with anyone who wants to bring these topics up. The longer you've been 'in the soup' the longer the detox period needs to be.

(2) Slow down and get quiet. This is Western society's paradox. We just can't grasp that we can be exceedingly productive without going non-stop. To quote the Runes: "Do without doing and everything gets done." Until we quiet the clutter, this exercise is futile. Period.

(3) Anchor with past positive feelings, productivity and outcomes. Too often when our individual lives get hijacked by the collective hysteria, we can't remember that we were ever happy at all. Now that can't be good! So after you've disconnected long enough, recall those times when you were in flow. How did you feel? What allowed you to accomplish so much? Why were you happy? What did you get done? What obstacles did you effortlessly overcome? Again, how did you feel?

(4) Look the illusion of fear in the face. Have the courage to sit across from what scares you to the point where your lifestyle and happiness are negatively affected. Until you name it, you can't displace it. But once you do, the more you'll notice that these fearful feelings have no basis in reality, and begin to dissolve.

(5) Do the opposite and call on your greatest allies for support. This time, sit next to your confidence, intuition, belief and love. These powerful forces have been with you all along. Unfortunately, over time we either ignore or push them away until we can no longer connect with them. Remember that this is what's real. Resist the pull to minimize the power of these guides. And don't let others tell you what's true for you. This last point is especially true during times of great uncertainty.

Bonus tip: Help someone else for no reason. Sweep the sidewalk in front of their house. Shovel snow from a neighbor's driveway. Help a kid with her homework. I have a friend who finds it easiest to get out of a funk by helping others in the moment. I've done it and it works for me. When we're focusing all our energy helping someone out, we're not dwelling in self-pity and fear. And once we're out of that funky space, we begin to see clearly once again.

Of course, fear is natural and can do us the favor of giving us a heads-up regarding potential danger, or fears can be overwhelming and require the assistance of a trained therapist. For the day-to-day variety, though, mindset management or spiritual practices can put fears in their proper perspective, allowing us to see more clearly the things that are worth paying attention to.

Hungry for more brain-tickling or inspiration? Visit the Ivy Sea Brain Food Cafeteria.