How To Work Through Fear
Fear itself is not good or bad. In fact, it is just a natural response to something that is perceived as bad. Events like running into a bear or standing on the edge of a tall cliff are likely to trigger a sensation of fear as your brain’s way of preparing your body to fight or flee. In this context, fear is triggering a survival response, but sometimes fear shows up when you are not in any danger.
Fear may arise when you stand up to present to a crowd, when you have to make impactful decisions, or when you are facing a challenge with a deadline. You know your life is not at risk in any of these situations, but your brain may not feel the same way. Previous experiences and personal fears can quickly arise, causing you to feel the same panicked need to act or escape even when it is not appropriate.
Unmanaged fear can decrease your quality of life at home and your potential at work. A looming sense of fear can lead to mental and physical conditions like anxiety, exhaustion, and decreased immune system function. When your body and mind suffer, so does your productivity. Fear of non-threatening events can lead you to avoid challenges that will help you grow and it can cause you to make rash decisions with undesirable outcomes.
Working through non-threatening fears takes some effort, but it is required if you are looking to live your best life. Fear can be worked through by following a step by step process, so let’s explore each step, build a plan, and conquer those fears.
1. What Do You Fear?
The first step in dealing with any challenge is assessing it, this includes fears. A sense of intense stress makes it easy to know when you are experiencing fear, but it is not always easy to find the root of your fear.
Take time to reflect on situations in which you have felt fearful despite not being in any danger. These memories can help you identify the exact event that triggered your fear initially and any following events that made it worse.
For example, someone may feel fear start to develop when they are told that they will host a large presentation. With every day that passes this fear grows and when they step on stage, their fear reaches its peak. In this case, the trigger is speaking to a crowd.
After identifying the trigger of your fear it is important to name it. Calling your fear by name allows you to identify it clearly as you work through it. In the past example, the fear of speaking to a crowd can be simplified into “A fear of public speaking” or “Glossophobia”.
Tip: You do not have to use the scientific name for your fear, but it is good to know. Searches using scientific names for fears provide more specific results for personal research.
2. Come To Terms With Your Fear.
You are not the first person in the world to experience your fear and you won’t be the last person either. Fears are natural and depending on life experiences they can take many forms. No matter how odd a fear may seem it is helpful to know that other people have experienced and even overcome it.
With the right connections or a few internet searches, you are likely to find others who share your fear. Knowing others have had the same experienced can help you normalize your own experience and makes facing fears feel less daunting. People who have faced your fear may also have some helpful tips and tricks specific to it. In a way, you are never facing your fear alone and it is empowering to understand that.
3. Disclose Your Fear
Expressing fear is a personal experience that can be enacted in a variety of ways.
Some of the most common include journaling, crafting, and talking about the fears you are working through. These activities are opportunities to get comfortable with thinking about your fear.
Performing an enjoyable task while thinking about your fear will make it more approachable and even lead to a deeper understanding of it.
4. Confront Your Fear
Challenging a fear is never easy, but it is always rewarding. The more you challenge your fear the more comfortable you will become with it. Eventually, you may even turn that fear into a personal strength!
Confrontation all starts with taking steps towards engaging with the fear you identified, came to terms with, and explored in the earlier steps. Your plan to engage with your fear is unique to you, but here are some tips to keep you confident during this challenge.
– Slow Down
When you engage with fear you may feel the need to get out of the situation as fast as possible. Rushing through a fearful experience can lead to poor outcomes and little progress. If you start to feel fearful and overwhelmed take the time to focus and relax with a few slow deep breaths.
– Think Big
Poor performance or failure of any kind can emphasize the sensation of fear. When you are attempting to face your fear and thoughts of failure start running through your mind it is easy to become overwhelmed. If you feel failure becoming a focus, shift your thoughts to a larger scale.
Even if today’s performance is not perfect, chances are it won’t have any negative impact on the distant future. Also, think back to how many people across the world are dealing with the same fear you are at the moment. You will begin to see that the fear you are facing is not so big when it is seen through a broad point of view.
– Positive Thoughts
The goal of fear is to prevent you from doing something considered to be dangerous. As your brain process fear you may experience thoughts about being insufficient or feel shameful about your fear. The best way to fight these negative feelings is with a positive mindset.
Do your best to think of yourself as capable and your feelings as valid. This will leave you feeling confident in your ability to work through anything fear throws at you.
Tip: Practicing mindfulness is a powerful way to encourage positive thinking when in stressful situations.
– Seek Guidance
There is nothing wrong with asking for help. Sometimes friends are a good source of support when facing fear and other times professional help is more effective. Mentors and therapists are powerful sources of guidance. You can talk and exercise fear diminishing techniques with them to achieve long-lasting results. Your perfect source of guidance is out there, you just have to look.
Citations:
- How to overcome fear and anxiety. (2020, August 10). Retrieved October 20, 2020, from https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/overcome-fear-anxiety
- Steimle, J. (2016, January 13). 14 Ways To Conquer Fear. Retrieved October 20, 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshsteimle/2016/01/04/14-ways-to-conquer-fear/
- Robbins, M. (2011, November 17). How To Move Through Your Fear In 7 Steps. Retrieved October 20, 2020, from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/conquering-fear_b_782170