Can you remember that moment where your pulse quickens the moment before you stand up to speak in a meeting, when you go on stage, or when you attempt something unfamiliar?
It can overwhelm you and tend to freeze you up even in that which seems to be very simple to accomplish. But, of course, here is the catch – fear is something that everyone experiences.
It can be fear of failing, of being rejected, of not knowing where the next meal is coming from – it’s something which none of us can escape.
So, how do we overcome fear? Can one remain fully alive and daring to live a life without fear as a constant factor? The truth is that fear never really goes away – it’s part of the deal when you’re in possession of a human form.
The good news is that it is possible to manage it, confront it, and even capitalize on it as well. In this post, we will look at simple, realistic things ways on How to Overcome Fear to regain some sense of control and feeling of normality.
What is Fear and why do we experience It
Fear has existed in human genes since the beginning of human existence. It’s your brain’s way of shouting at you; “Watch out there is a threat around!” Be careful.”
Unlike individuals who experience higher estrogen and progesterone levels, this fight or flight mechanism was helpful when our ancestors met with a beast or any comparable life endangering event.
However, today, fear is not about running from a lion, or from other fierce animals but from everyday challenges such as a business crucial interview, falling in love again, starting that new business, etc.
At times this response goes to extremes, leading us to overemphasize the threat and underestimate our capacity for dealing with it.
What Causes Fear?
Fear, quite often, has causes that run much deeper. Here are some common causes:
1. Past Experiences: Perhaps you made a mistake before, now you are afraid of more mistakes and you stay put.
2. The Unknown: One can almost get a feeling of being uncomfortable if at all he or she has to venture into unknown territory.
3. Self-Doubt: At other times, it is fueled by a sense of inadequacy that we hold deeply that makes us feel we are unworthy to be alive.
4. External Pressure: Other people may impose demands on society, family, or peers that makes fear more pronounced.
Think about your own fears. Where do they come from? Learning the way on how to fight fear starts with finding out what caused it.
How Fear Impacts Your Life
It’s important to note that fear isn’t just feeling, but again it becomes a dominating component of an individual’s life.
-Physically: Getting a racing heart, sweating or a tight chest when fear creeps in.
-Mentally: Stress distorts your thinking process and thus makes you withdrawn and overly analytical on issues.
-Emotionally: It can lead to stress, anxiety and probable helplessness.
For example, someone with a phobia for or fear of public speaking. They shun jobs, neglect promotions, and have a constant burden of regret. Slowly this limits their horizon and fear becomes an inherent part of their life.
But here’s the good news, it doesn’t have to stay this way.
Real Life Strategies on How to Overcome Fear
Feeling scared is a normal thing, but knowing How to Overcome Fear is another thing altogether. The supreme strategy is to design practical and conscious actions you can use to work towards regaining control. Let’s dive deeper into these practical strategies:
1. Identify Your Fear
To finish the fight with your emotions you must know your enemy and in this case the enemy is fear. Ask yourself, What exactly am I afraid of? How come this is something I do dread? Is this fear warranted for a specific offense, or is it actually based on assumption or prior experience?
I realised many times that fears are like giants, they seem enormous until light is shed on them. For example, shy people avoid speaking in public because what they fear most is rejection, or embarrassment.
This is easier said once you arrive at the root cause of the problem. Speaking to someone about it or writing a journal can help you sort out what you really want to do.
2. Change Your Perspective
Worry becomes magnified because you only see the negative outcomes. What if instead of dwelling on it you reverse it? So instead of asking, “What if I fail?” You should be asking “What if I succeed?”
In its place, I said to myself, “I’m not ready,” and replaced this with, “This is a good experience to gain more experience.” Reframing fear means moving from the positions of, fear is wrong, and I can’t deal with it, to positions of, fear is a learning opportunity.
It is essential to consider fear as an alternative competition instead of denying it as a threat. For instance, if you are wary of beginning a new career, tell yourself that no master was made in a day.
3. Take Small, Consistent Steps
Learning how to lessen fear isn’t about going through the deep end of the water but simply jumping in with baby steps. Masters and Roberts (1988) called this approach graduated exposure therapy.
Here’s how to apply it:
Divide your fear into small pieces which appear to be less threatening. The foundation is formed from basic action that seems to be easy to perform.
For instance, if you have a phobia for flying, start out by watching movies depicting aspects of flying and then visiting an airport without having to travel on a plane.
Never underestimate the supreme importance of enjoying each win that you have accumulated regardless of how meager they may appear.
Consistency is key. While it is beneficial to face your fears consistently, fear doesn’t cause power to fade over you even after repeatedly exposing yourself to it in little amounts.
4. Focus on What You Can Control
When it comes to fear, there’s nothing like uncertainty, and in most of them; you are bound to deal with matters you have no control over. Quit dwelling on what could be the case; better focus on what can be done.
For example:
- Afraid of failing an exam? Do not pay too much attention to the results and outcome instead concentrate on planning on how best to prepare for the exams.
Want to know how to relax before the important meeting or presentation? Discuss and rehearse with those closely associated and ask a friend to give feedback. This mindset helps one to take control all the way, reducing the hold that fear has.
5. Seek Support
What people fail to understand is there is always a way out of being a loner in fear. Telling your problems to another person may help you clear out your mind and regain your strength.
- Talk to a friend or family member: At some point it is always good to have someone standing outside the problem analyzing so that they can tell you that your fear is actually not so big as how you perceive it.
- Join a support group: Whether for an important business presentation, crippling anxiety, or to challenge yourself and grow, nothing helps like finding people who fear the same thing.
- Work with a therapist or coach: But if your fear feels too big to handle on your own, then do not hesitate to seek help from a professional – it’s not a weakness, it is actually strength. Your fear can be changed using efficient approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy by the therapist.
6. Meditation and Relaxation
Fear drags us into the “what ifs” of the future. One possible benefit of mindfulness is to minimize the anxiety and bring and enhance the perspective. Here are a few techniques:
- Deep Breathing Exercises: Small simple cycles of breathing such as the 4-7-8 method (inhale for four seconds, hold the breath for seven seconds, exhale for eight seconds) can help soothe an overstimulated nervous system and relieve panic.
- Meditation: Headspace or Calm are apps that can help you to perform mindfulness and learn how to watch your fears without recognizing them as dangerous.
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation: This is done by concurring contraction and relaxation of muscles beginning from your feet all the way up to your head to let go.
These practices do more than help withdraw from what causes the initial fear, but they also wire our brains for a different strategy in the long-term.
7. Visualize Success
Visualization is a strong technique to retune your brain to react to fear. When you are afraid, do not paint a picture in your mind of how it will fail, paint the picture of success in the situation that bothers you.
For example:
- If your specific fear is speaking in public then visualize yourself speaking fluently in front of an audience and the appreciation of the audience. If you get scared to try something new then, paint a picture in your mind enjoying the process of trying it out and then succeeding..
Using visualization, one reduces his or her level of anxiety because the brain gets trained on how to associate the feared activity with positivity.
8. Embrace Fear as a Teacher
Instead of avoiding the things that scares you the most, embrace it. Ask yourself questions, some of the meaningful questions you can ask yourself include questions like, each time a particular kind of fear awakens in my soul, what is this fear trying to teach me? Most times, fear underlines some of the domains that have room for development.
For example:
That could mean that there is fear of failure that stems from perfectionism that must be treated.
The client could be struggling with issues of rejection, hence the need to promote the factors that make the client strong and acceptable. The only way to make it beneficial thus freeing up energy for growth is to redefine fear as a constructive force that alerts you to danger.
9. Create a Fear Proof Mind
Unlike the concept of ‘conquering fear, the art of facing fear is a process that is recurring in nature. Here’s how to develop a mindset that’s resilient to fear:
- Adopt a Growth Mindset: Try to see failures not as missions that were not accomplished, but as experiments that did not come through.
- Build Self-Confidence: Remember a few wins to bring yourself a realization of what you are capable of.
- Practice Gratitude: Taking our minds off what we are lacking and placing attention on what we already have may be a good way to move from fear based living to abundance.
10. Reward Yourself
Every time you get in front of it and do something despite the fact that you’re afraid, rejoice! It doesn’t matter if the final triumph looked like this, what matters is the movement.
Rewarding also encourages the behavior and to continue offering effort towards completing the goal. For example: You worked so hard to prepare for that meeting, so go ahead and take your beloved meal.
If you triumphed over a social phobia, then you should include the next activity on your list. These positive reinforcements actually make this journey worth it. When these steps are followed successfully they assist a person to overcome their fear as well as learn how to succeed regardless of it.
Let me remind you once again that the goal of the process of managing fear is not to get rid of it at all, but to win over it. To some, fear may be the opposite of what they want at least until they discover that it doesn’t have to be an adversary.
Conclusion
On how to overcome fear, a person must learn to embrace fear as a friend, not as a lord. It is true that fear is not something which is eradicated, it is something which has to be tolerated.
Your fears will never catch you if you don’t turn your back and run from them, for when you confront them, you will find great power within yourself. So, the next time fear whispers in your ear, remember this: This is not about not having fear, it’s about being scared and doing the task anyway.
Build it gradually, be regular, and do not doubt that courage increases with time. You’ve got this. If fear is a part of your story do not let it frame your entire story. Seriously, commit to taking the first step today, you won’t regret it tomorrow.
