All About FEAR: 5 Ways to Overcome It
Fear. It starts with a stressful stimulus and results in the “fright or flight” response kicking your sympathetic nervous system into high gear, flooding your body with adrenaline and other hormones that cause your muscles to tighten, heart rate and blood pressure to increase, and breathing to speed up (among other things your body thinks you need to survive).
All animals fear, it’s what helps keep us alive. It’s passed through evolution and some people may also be genetically predisposed to fear certain things. It helps to keep us out of harms way and prevents us from making stupid decisions. It can show up as anticipation, being scared things that something MIGHT happen. If you see a car accident, you might anticipate it happening to you and start being afraid to drive. We’re also conditioned over time to be afraid. For example, if every time you talked to people you were made fun of or laughed at, you’d start to fear socializing.
Fear is a fascinating chain reaction in your brain that can be extremely helpful (I sure do appreciate the survival piece!) but in some cases it can be detrimental. For example, many of us (myself included) are afraid of public speaking, but what if you need to do it to pass a class, promote your business, or share about an important cause? It’s not a life or death situation, but your body still has that same fear reaction. Maybe you’re afraid of planes and traveling, but what if it’s also your dream to experience other places? Maybe you’re afraid to quit your job but you hate going to work everyday? There are times we get scared and fear holds us back from things that would change our lives for the better.
If you have fears you’d like to overcome, here are 5 tips to help:
1. It doesn’t matter WHY. Sometimes fear is irrational, we don't know why we’re afraid but we are. Instead of obsessing over why and how (which may just make you MORE afraid), simply acknowledge the fear is there.
2. Learn/Exposure. Somethings we’re afraid of because we simply don’t have enough knowledge, there’s a fear of the unknown or a fear caused by uncertainty. Learning more and understanding what it is you’re scared of can help. Also having exposure to what you’re afraid of and creating new memories to override the fear ridden ones can make a big difference.
3. Take small steps. Looking at the grand scheme of things can be terrifying but if you break it up into small steps it can be more manageable. If you’re scared of heights, don’t think about being on the edge of a cliff, focus on the first step of the trail.
4. Surround yourself with people you think are brave. Spend time with people who aren’t afraid of the things you are, their attitude and perceptions can change your view. You can also take them with you in certain situations so you don’t have to conquer your fear alone.
5. Talk about it. Sharing your fears can make them seem less daunting. At the end of the day, fear is a complicated emotion and if you’re struggling to deal with it all on your own, reach out.
Think about what you’re afraid of and notice which fears are rational and which ones might be holding you back. What if your fear was simply a message that you’re on the right track? It could be showing you where you should be pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone. Notice if there are any fears keeping you from reaching a goal or dream, and if there are, let’s figure out how to crush them.