What Is Fear?
To overcome fear we need to understand what fear is. “Fear is a natural, powerful, and primitive human emotion; fear alerts us to the presence of danger or the threat of harm, whether that danger is physical or psychological”. Fear is beneficial to us humans; it is an essential response to physical and emotional threat; if we didn’t feel it, we wouldn’t protect ourselves from actual threats. But sometimes, we go overboard with the fear thing, stopping us from experiencing the beautiful things life has to offer.
Well, I have lived in fear almost all my life, everything about life scares me, and I know it’s not just me. I behave like I know what I am doing most of the time but trust me, I am not. The truth is I am “chopping confuse” 90% of the time, and it is alright to be scared; as I mentioned earlier, fear is necessary; it enables us with the ability to protect ourselves from harm. I am afraid of almost everything, I am scared of falling, failing, moving vehicles, and so many other embarrassing stuff I’d rather not mention.
Fear allows us to focus on areas of our lives that our instincts tell us we need to act upon. It could be a problem in the workplace, school or a bad relationship. Scientists have also proven that fear can give us a “superpower”, like lifting heavy objects when scared.
Fear in the right dose can be a friend, but too much can pervade your life. The natural process is that danger triggers fear, and after the threat is gone, the fear subsides, but if it continues after the threat is gone, it means there might be a problem. In extreme cases, it means anxiety. I had this massive fear of failing, so I didn’t even try anything new, or I would overwork myself and stress over little things. Of course, not all of us suffer from anxiety, but fear certainly has the potential to hold us back in life.
It takes a great deal of respect and compassion to feel sympathetic toward a person who is scared of things we aren’t afraid of; We do not need to judge another person’s fear based on how we feel.
How To Overcome Fear
When we want to overcome fear, we need to understand that it isn’t a day’s job, rather a gradual process. It is often believed that avoiding our fears only makes them more terrifying. Whatever your fear, when faced heads on, would disappear. If you were terrified of a rollercoaster, for example, you should ride on the rollercoaster.
There are times we need to act upon the fear, and there are times we don’t. Reacting on impulse to overcome fear can lead to harmful behaviours, like drinking, eating disorders or even suppressing these feelings. Next time you feel frightened, try this: Relax!. Acknowledge your fear and sit with it for a few minutes. Think about it and find out the cause. A moment of reflection can significantly affect overcoming anxiety in a productive, intentional, and effective way.
Like Monica Berg wrote in her book “Fear Is Not An Option”, “if we live a risk-averse existence because of fear, we also live a joy-averse existence”. The life you live depends on your choices and the risk you take; they are the same ingredients in the recipe called happiness.
Arianne Huffington, the founder of the Huffington Post, said, “failure is not the opposite of success but a stepping stone to success”. one of the ways to get rid of fear is facing it head-on, apply for that job, take that trip, talk to that girl or boy, who knows you might get what you want. Use your fears as a drive to be the best you. My fear of failing makes me want to be a better person and learn something new every day, don’t let your fear throw you off balance. You underestimate yourself.
