Face Your Fears

If you ask me, I believe a little bit of fear is normal. In reality, fear is essential to our survival because it triggers our natural desire to defend ourselves against danger. Imagine there is no fear, how would we know or recognize something dangerous, and help us make a safer choice? You know, like the fight or flight response that energizes you to move away from the threat.

The issue here with fear is that sometimes, we become fearful of things that aren’t actually dangerous, like speaking in public for example. Your fear of public speaking might prevent you from advancing in your career especially if you plan on becoming a journalist or say a lecturer. In fact, in whatever sphere of life you find yourself in, fear has the power to limit us if we already condition our minds that this thing is a danger. And not forgetting the fear of the unknown which has stopped so many people to become even much more than they can imagine.

Here is why... It is human nature to avoid emotions that scare us. I mean who wishes to enter what is sure to be an unpleasant situation right away? And that is what fear is. Fear is a basic human emotion designed to motivate us to avoid danger. Some of the changes triggered by fear include rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, pupil dilating, running stomach etc. 

So you see, when one is afraid of something, the likelihood of doing anything that has to do with that thing is very low. And truthfully, this can be challenging, I mean, it can be limiting. I have a fear of dogs, and as a result, I don't even want to go close to one, when anyone plays close to me, I am very alert and hope things don't turn bad. That doesn't mean dogs aren't great pets. I mean, dogs have been known to be humans' loyal companions for years. 

Let us get this straight, fear is related to but not synonymous with phobia or anxiety. In fact, they have been used interchangeably. In the case of anxiety, it’s not knowing what’s going to happen that triggers the fear responses. However, phobias are more generally irrational fears of a specific situation, object, or activity, like heights or blood. All these can have an effect on how we perceive ourselves and the world around us. Making it difficult to achieve what we all have the capacity to. And what a perfect way to break the barrier if not to face the fear! Yes, face it...

In the short term, avoiding the circumstances you fear could help you feel better, but in the long run, avoidance might lead to increased anxiety and stress. You can tell your brain and mind that you can't handle your fears if you entirely avoid them. Instead, gradually confronting your worries in manageable quantities may help reduce anxiety by preventing your brain cells from becoming acclimated to the fear. And this helps straighten your mindset about this fear stimulus that you begin to believe that you can do it, you can achieve that goal, you can complete that task, you can go on that trip without fear of a plane crash, you can apply for that job and get it.

Sometimes, fear comes from simply not knowing very much about the thing you fear. So one way to face your fears is to evaluate the risks. With this, we can easily challenge those fearful thoughts. Also, practising positive talks and gratitude journaling is another way to deal with fear. Because fear comes with a lot of negative self-talk, it would help to replace them with positive ones. And finally, if your fears are debilitating, and you aren’t having much success facing them on your own, it is best you see a therapist. Seek the help of a trusted mental health professional. Talking about your fears most times takes away the scariness of it.

Remember, you are not a failure because you failed, you are when you allow fear to keep you down from bouncing back. So take that step today, you never know if that would be the life changer that you so desire. Even if it is a 50/50 chance you got, if you don't throw it in you would never know the outcome.