Is your fear controlling your life? Do you want to take back control and be in charge of how you feel? In this article, we share 3 practical tips.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Fear is usually seen as a negative thing; it’s not nice to be afraid, and it can have all kinds of detrimental effects.
However, fear isn’t always all bad – it sets off our ‘fight or flight’ reaction, for example, which can get us out of difficult situations quickly, or at least have us ready to face them.
Yet, most of the time, fear is a problem. It means we don’t do the things we know we really should just because we are worried that we might not do well, or that the outcome isn’t going to be positive.
If fear is controlling your life and preventing you from succeeding and reaching the levels you know you can reach, it’s time to take a stand. You need to work out how to stop fear from taking you over. Moreover, you should push through to be the success you know you can be. Here are some ways to start.
Take It Bit By Bit
To begin with, you need to acknowledge your fear. That doesn’t simply mean acknowledging that you are afraid; it means understanding what that fear connects with. It could be that you’re scared of leaving home and buying your first place. Or perhaps you’re scared of leaving a job you’re comfortable in to achieve your dream job in a different sector.
Maybe you need to see a general dentist but you’re afraid to do so. It could be anything, and it doesn’t have to make sense – fear often doesn’t.
Once you know what you are really afraid of, you can start to take small steps to conquer that fear. Trying to get over it all at once is not a good idea. You will start to feel overwhelmed and perhaps even more afraid than before. Slowly but surely, your fear will begin to fade.
Look For Alternatives
Sometimes your fear is so all-encompassing that it can affect your health. If you’re afraid of seeing a doctor, for example, then you might not make an appointment when you need to and become sicker as a result.
This is understandable but potentially hugely problematic. So why not look for alternatives? If you’re afraid of a regular doctor, then a holistic approach might be better. Whatever it is you are afraid of, there is likely to be another way to go about it, and the key to conquering your fear is to find that alternative way.
Incentivize Yourself
Sometimes in order to face – and battle with – your fears, you need to have a goal in mind and a reward once you reach that goal. By incentivizing yourself, you may be able to get there more quickly and discover that your fears are as controlling as you first thought.
You can reward yourself in many different ways, and the bigger the goal you reach, the bigger the reward should be. Also, you could take a day off work and do something just for you, or you could get takeout if this is something you rarely do. You could book tickets for a holiday and plenty more.
