Most of us have fears and traumas based on our past and experiences. These fears, however, stop us from reaching our goals and dreams in life. In this post, How to Face your Fears to Enjoy Life.
What’s Fear?
Fear is a natural emotion. It triggers biochemical processes that puts your body in alert mode.
When you feel fear, your body is aware of the presence of danger or the threat of harm, and will act against it.
The source of fear can be real, or imaginary. It’s when fear comes from imagined danger when you have a problem... a fear to face and overcome.
Don't avoid fear, it's a natural emotion. You need to feel fear to know where the harm and danger is, and prepare yourself for it.
Instead, find a way to face fear. Take advantages from it. Look at the other side of the coin and strengthen your personality based on that fear.
Biochemical Fear
Fear is an array of biochemical reactions triggering the “figh or flight” mode (source).
Consequence of the feel of fear, your body and mind will feel anger, sadness, fear, and the disposition to act and react to what’s causing the fear.
Fear, from a biochemical point of view, it’s a response crucial to our survival... or it was thousands of years ago, when we had to deal with tigers, giant lions, and other creatures that could extinct humanity.
Emotional Fear:
When you hear “fear”, you think of emotions. Panic, anger.... but also happiness and excitment.
Serotonin plays a big role in fear (source). When you feel fear you may be shitting your pants off, but also excited and happy.
Roller coasters, skydiving, swimming with sharks, heights... are any of those your fears? If you get to face them, you’ll feel happier and stronger than ever.
But because fear is an emotional component, it manifests differently between persons. You may feel fear as a good emotion, while someone else will have a hard time facing his/her fears.
How to Face your Fears
You need to face your fears.... you HAVE to face your fears. They are not doing any good to you. Fears stop you from living life to its fullest.
Don't you wanna live the life you deserve? Fine, keep your fears
Do you want to live the life you deserve?
That’s what I wanted to hear. Scroll down, and face your fears!
8 Strategies to Face your Fears
1. Accept fear is real
2. Take it step by step
3. Change your mentality
4. Step out of the comfort zone
5. Talk with a therapist
6. Find the beauty of your fear
7. Hold the right hand
8. Meditate
Accept Fear is Real
Acceptance is the first step towards resolution. If you are not aware of the fear, you won’t be able to face it.
By accepting the fear is real, you are removing the “impossible to face” component of the equation. The fear now feels real, it feels human. You and the fear are sitting now next to each other, ready to have a talk.
Tell your fear you don’t want it anymore. Tell your fear you have had enough, and it’s time to take separate journeys.
Treat the fear as something real, something possible to face and overcome.
Take it Step by Step
Fears can be hard to overcome. The magnitude of the fear depends on a lot of factors, and if it’s too big, trying to face it all at once can be unrealistic.
Take the fear step by step. Don’t go “all-in” from the beginning, and start making slow but continuous progress along the way.
This is an example of how to face fear step-by-step
You suffer from stage fright, but next week you have to present your project to 2000 attendants in a technology convention. This is how you are going to face your fear:
- Go to the mirror and do the speech. Only you, and your reflection
- Ask your partner if he/she would like to hear the presentation.
- After the family dinner, present the project to all your family
- Ask some friends if they would like to hear the presentation
- Go to that convention, and think as if you were presenting to your partner, family, or friends. If you were able to do it with them, why not now?
Change your Mentality
Fear has a big emotional component. And as another emotion, you can face your fear by changing your mentality.
Your mind is more powerful than you think. Your mind is capable of doing things you never imagined it could do. Change your mentality and take advantage of your fear.
Step Out of the Comfort Zone
The beauty of life happens out of the comfort zone
If you stay on the couch all day, your fears will remain with you forever. If you don’t take action, your fears will keep sucking up all your energy and joy.
Step out of your comfort zone. Be uncomfortable. Do things you hadn’t done before. Show to yourself how capable you are of doing new things, of facing new challenges.
Because what’s fear but another challenge in your life?
Talk with a Therapist
We relate going to the therapist with craziness, big depressions, or psychological disorders. But as another health specialist, therapists are there to help you.
You go to the doctor when you feel physical pain, right? Why don’t you go to the therapist when suffering emotional pain?
Talk with a therapist and let him/her help you face your fears. Their knowledge and experience will be a great help to tackle down your fear.
Find the Beauty of your Fear
Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth - Marcus Aurelius
Life is a perspective. Everything can be seen from different point of views.
Fear may seem a bad thing, something you want to get rid of. But before you face your fears and get rid of them, I encourage you to try to find the beauty inside it.
Take advantage of the situation and see what the fear can provide to your life. Find out what aspect of your personality is that fear strengthen it. Identify the beauty in your fear.
Everything has a positive side. Your fears can, for instance, strengthen other aptitudes or parts of your personality.
Fears can empower your mind and train your resilience. Make you a better person, better at what you do. Fear make you analyse everything around you, looking for potential danger or harm.
Find the beauty in them, and face your fears.
Hold the Right Hand
You are not alone. You have support from your loved ones.
Use them to face your fears. Hold the right hand and let that person help you face your fears.
They love you, they are with you for a reason. Let them help you.
There’s nothing wrong on getting help from others. Leave the ego in the door, and embark to this journey together with the others. Hold the right hand, and face your fears together
Meditate
Meditation is a powerful tool to strengthen your mind. It gives you time to be alone, to clear your mind, and to think on everything happening around you.
Use meditation to face your fears. Sit down, close your eyes, and spend 10-15min thinking on how to face your fears. Do it periodically and you’ll start noticing the progress.
Conclusion
Fear is real, you need to survive and evolve. As a natural amotion, you can't avoid it, but you can face your fears to learn from them and strengthen your personality.
In this post, we have seen 8 strategies to face your fears and enjoy life. These are only the eight main strategies I've used, but there are many other ways to face your fears.
Find the one you like the most, work on it, and face your fears!
