A Complete Guide to Overcoming Fear and Moving on With Your Life
They say no one is born with fears. They are learned, and, as such, they can be unlearned. However, it takes a good dose of patience, courage, and self-discipline to get there. Developing a healthy routine surrounding your fears is the only way to make them go away. Every person on this planet has their fears, something that scares them a lot. They weren’t born with these fears but instead picked them up along the way. Dealing with these fears can be demanding, time-consuming, and challenging for everyone. Fortunately, fears can be driven away and unlearned. The most common fears include:
Loss of a family member
Loss of life
Loss of a loved one
Loss of money
Poverty
Fear of personal and professional failure
These are all common fears that every person on this planet has. However, there is one significant thing to point out – different people deal differently with their fears. To some, these are just occasional thoughts. For others, these are such strong feelings and emotions that they sabotage their hopes of having a normal life, being loved, and enjoying professional success. Because of that, it’s paramount to learn how to deal with your fears, overcome them, and move on.
Understanding Fight or Flight
The first step of dealing with your fears is to understand just how severe your condition is. There are a couple of ways to do it. According to a study, you have to face your fears to conquer them. To do that, you must first understand how fear works:
A paralysing action – fear can be so intense that it can completely paralyse you, resulting in a negative attitude and denial. The fear of failure is what prevents you from fighting your fears.
Shutting your brain down – when a person experiences fear, their mind tends to shut down, and they’re not able to think straight.
Fear causes anxiety – anxiety is best described as a constant feeling in your gut that something is wrong. It keeps you from being happy and satisfied.
When a person is experiencing fear, the following things happen:
Faster and irregular heart rate
Short breath
Muscle weakness
Uncontrollable sweating
Stomach-churning
Dizziness
Complete paralysis
Loss of appetite
Dry mouth
Extreme muscle tension
If you think that you may be experiencing some of these feelings, it’s time to take some measures to deal with these issues. If you fail to do so, it can result in developing a range of mental/health conditions. The most crucial step you can take is realising that you have a problem and that it’s time to do something about it.
How Does Deep Fear Set In?
Fear mostly occurs when a person is dealing with something unfamiliar that they have never encountered before. On such occasions, it can just be a one-off feeling that can last a few seconds and go away. However, it can also be a more permanent, long-lasting problem that keeps coming back daily. There’s no particular reason for it, nor should you be looking for one. For some people, being anxious daily without any trigger or cause is a normal state of mind. What matters is how a person reacts when these feelings take effect. If you don’t react or take measures to treat your condition, you risk allowing deep fear to set in. When this happens, anything can become a trigger, and everyday life becomes just a string of events that either cause you to feel fear, anxiety, or panic. There is also phobia, an extreme and deep fear of a particular situation, place, thing, or animal.All these things can prevent you from having a normal life. The only way to get rid of them is to face them and overcome what you fear the most.
Is Therapy the Right Way to Go?
Therapy can be extremely useful in helping you face your fears; however, it is only a means, a tool you use to get on the right path. You’re the one who has to overcome your fears to move on with your life. Talking therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy and counselling, can be quite helpful in getting you on the right path. You can also try a combination of medication and visiting support groups, as this helps with the aftermath and ensures you stay on the right track.
What does facing your fears mean?
To face your fears is to know yourself. This isn’t an easy thing to do at all, but if you manage to do it, it can change your life for the better. Facing your fears means to stop avoiding things that scare you deeply. By doing so, you’ll open a whole new window of opportunities to do things you’ve always wanted to do but couldn’t. Think about your worst fears, and then try to face them by freely engaging in situations or with something that scares you to the bone. Aside from managing your phobias, this will help you reduce anxiety and avoid other problems that tend to develop from constant fear.
Conclusion
Fear is a normal thing, and it can sometimes be very useful. However, it can become a severe mental condition if left untreated. If you’re experiencing strong emotions of fear for no particular reason, try to sit with it for a couple of minutes to get to the root of the problem. Think about all the positive sides of your life and the things you’re good at. Remind yourself that fear can be a good thing. Work on your body and mind, eat healthily and don’t let fear overcome you. Finally, teach yourself to respect and love yourself, as this is the best way to deflate your worst fears.
