Ways to overcome fear
Weekend Plus Desk :
Fear is a strong emotion – changing the function of our brains, our organs, as well as our behavior. Everyone experiences fear sometimes. Fear can actually help keep you safe by alerting you to potentially dangerous situations. However, there are times when fear runs amok and disrupts your daily life.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to address your fears and minimise the impact it has on you.
Deal with the fear directly
The only way to deal with a fear is to address it head-on. The natural tendency of many people is to deny that they have a problem caused by fear of some kind. They’re afraid of confronting it. In turn, it becomes a major source of stress, unhappiness, and psychosomatic illness.
Be willing to deal with the situation or person directly. As Shakespeare said, “Take arms against a sea of troubles, and in so doing, end them.”
When you force yourself to face any fear-inducing situation in your life, your self-esteem goes up, your self-respect increases, and your sense of personal pride grows. You eventually reach the point in life where you are not afraid of anything.
Have a well thought out plan
We begin to worry and over analyse situations when we don’t have detailed and well thought out plans for our life. Set extremely clear goals with a detailed plan on how to achieve those goals. After you have a well detailed plan, take action. Taking action towards meaningful goals helps to relieve stress and gives you a huge sense of enjoyment. Fear creeps in and paralyzes us when we don’t take the time to plan our lives.
Realise that it’s okay to have fears
Fear is an adaptive function that prolongs our lives. Do you walk up to a cliff’s edge and suddenly feel fearful? This is adaptive fear, and it tells you, “This could be dangerous and cost you your life. Take caution.”
Fear triggers a ‘fight-or-flight’ response, which readies our bodies to take action in order to protect ourselves.
Realise that fear can be good, and acknowledge the positive and protective role it has.
Use the law of reversibility
The Law of Reversibility says, “If you feel a certain way, you will act in a manner consistent with that feeling.”
But if you act in a manner consistent with that feeling, even if you don’t feel it, the Law of Reversibility will create the feeling that is consistent with your actions. This is one of the greatest breakthroughs in success psychology. You develop the courage you desire by disciplining yourself repeatedly to do the thing you fear until that fear eventually disappears-and it will.
Fear is normal and, to a certain extent
We can thank fear when it makes us get a lump checked or tells us not to walk alone down that dark alley. We can have gratitude for fear when it shakes us awake or jolts us from complacency.
But while fear can play a very valuable role in igniting action, we can’t let it run our lives-especially if our fears are totally unfounded or irrational. Once we receive the message, we need to disable the fear alarm, turn it off, cool it down. Because no one can thrive in a constant state of panic-our bodies aren’t built for that.
Fear is a strong emotion – changing the function of our brains, our organs, as well as our behavior. Everyone experiences fear sometimes. Fear can actually help keep you safe by alerting you to potentially dangerous situations. However, there are times when fear runs amok and disrupts your daily life.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to address your fears and minimise the impact it has on you.
Deal with the fear directly
The only way to deal with a fear is to address it head-on. The natural tendency of many people is to deny that they have a problem caused by fear of some kind. They’re afraid of confronting it. In turn, it becomes a major source of stress, unhappiness, and psychosomatic illness.
Be willing to deal with the situation or person directly. As Shakespeare said, “Take arms against a sea of troubles, and in so doing, end them.”
When you force yourself to face any fear-inducing situation in your life, your self-esteem goes up, your self-respect increases, and your sense of personal pride grows. You eventually reach the point in life where you are not afraid of anything.
Have a well thought out plan
We begin to worry and over analyse situations when we don’t have detailed and well thought out plans for our life. Set extremely clear goals with a detailed plan on how to achieve those goals. After you have a well detailed plan, take action. Taking action towards meaningful goals helps to relieve stress and gives you a huge sense of enjoyment. Fear creeps in and paralyzes us when we don’t take the time to plan our lives.
Realise that it’s okay to have fears
Fear is an adaptive function that prolongs our lives. Do you walk up to a cliff’s edge and suddenly feel fearful? This is adaptive fear, and it tells you, “This could be dangerous and cost you your life. Take caution.”
Fear triggers a ‘fight-or-flight’ response, which readies our bodies to take action in order to protect ourselves.
Realise that fear can be good, and acknowledge the positive and protective role it has.
Use the law of reversibility
The Law of Reversibility says, “If you feel a certain way, you will act in a manner consistent with that feeling.”
But if you act in a manner consistent with that feeling, even if you don’t feel it, the Law of Reversibility will create the feeling that is consistent with your actions. This is one of the greatest breakthroughs in success psychology. You develop the courage you desire by disciplining yourself repeatedly to do the thing you fear until that fear eventually disappears-and it will.
Fear is normal and, to a certain extent
We can thank fear when it makes us get a lump checked or tells us not to walk alone down that dark alley. We can have gratitude for fear when it shakes us awake or jolts us from complacency.
But while fear can play a very valuable role in igniting action, we can’t let it run our lives-especially if our fears are totally unfounded or irrational. Once we receive the message, we need to disable the fear alarm, turn it off, cool it down. Because no one can thrive in a constant state of panic-our bodies aren’t built for that.