“Fear can destroy you!” Fear can come on our path to success. You might have big goals in your life, but what might be limiting you from achieving them could be your fear. There are different types of fear and you need to overcome them to achieve your dreams. Let us read below and discover how to overcome your fear factor.
What is Fear?
There are several ways to overcome your fear and protect your life from going in the wrong direction. However, before you know how to overcome your fear, you must know what exactly is fear and also identify the source through which you get fear. Someone has rightly said, “The right treatment begins with recognition of the fear factor.”
Now, what is fear? It is another word for worry or anxiety and is excessively prevalent in our current society. Fear or anxiety is a feeling of uneasiness or distress about any perceived or real threat or event that can be occurring in the present moment or that is believed might occur in the future, and that might be having negative outcomes. Are you going through this condition? If yes, be known, that you are not alone. There are a lot of people who go through this at some point in their life. As per the report stated by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, it has been listed that around 40 million people in the US, i.e. around 18% experience anxiety disorder or fear in any given year.(1)
Some other common types of fear are phobias. About 12% of adults experience a phobia at some part in their life.(2) Phobia is an extreme fear of a specific object, animal, or situation.
How To Overcome Your Fear Factor?
The first and foremost thing that you need to do if you experience constant fear or phobia for any particular thing, is to consult with a psychiatrist and know the underlying reason for the same and address the condition with appropriate therapy. Different phobias or intense fears might require different therapies. These therapies can support you in managing your fear factor by letting you understand what might be causing the fear and helping you set realistic expectations for your future.
There are different approaches through which people can overcome their fear. Different strategies work for different people and different types of fear. However, below we have mentioned some of the most common types of therapies that can help you to overcome your fear of different types.
Different Types of Therapies to Overcome Fear
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy/CBT: Cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT is one of the most common types of approaches that helps people to manage their fear. This type of therapy might also be useful in case of treating people with OCD, panic, anxiety, and many other mental disorders.
Exposure Therapy: Exposure therapy might be beneficial for those who are experiencing general feelings of fear or who suffer from OCD or obsessive-compulsive disorder. This therapy is usually conducted by gradually exposing the victim to their fear.
Psychodynamic Therapy: This therapy is for people who experience fear or panic and it helps them overcome their fear. Psychodynamic therapy uses the process of transference to address the fear that is generally caused by panic.
Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing/EMDR: One more therapy that can help you overcome your fear is the Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing or EMDR. This therapy benefits those who experience fear factors because of their past trauma.
NOTE: Based on the type of fear you are experiencing, your psychiatrist or therapist will perform the most appropriate therapy on you to help you overcome your fear.
Practice Mindfulness:
“Mindfulness can energize your life.” It is indeed that mindfulness has great power and one can use this to overcome various problems in life, including fear or anxiety. Mindfulness trains the attention of our mind to be more present without concerning or thinking about the future or the past. This mindset can help you reduce stress and depression by helping you overcome your fear.
One of the most popular and effective means of mindfulness is meditation. This could be easily done by closing your eyes and spending time in silence thinking about the happy times, repeating the positive affirmations of counting your breaths. In meditation, you do not have to block the fearful thoughts, rather have to notice the thoughts and realize that they do not demand you to act upon them. This way your fear shall pass.
Mindful Breathing Techniques:
If you are noticing your heartbeat going faster, sweating palms, or experiencing fear; the best thing you can do is not to fight the feeling. Rather, stay calm and be wherever you are without trying to distract yourself.
To perform mindful breathing techniques, you need to place your palm on your stomach and slowly take deep breaths. Here, the goal is to help your mind get used to coping with fear or panic.
Practice Gratitude:
“There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy!” This famous quote by the legendary author Ralph. H. Blum comes out true for those who experience fear and who want to overcome their fear factor.
In hard times, one can easily drop into fear. However, practicing gratitude helps you not to drown in fear. Though you might feel the fear, it will be a reduced feeling. Gratitude is linked with greater happiness, and this has been explained in psychology research studies. Feeling grateful can help you deal with adversities and negative emotions including fear.
Recite Positive Affirmation:
One more way to overcome your fear factor is by reciting positive affirmations. When you train your mind with positive affirmations, it can help challenge your fears and make you stay positive. Research has even shows that when you train your subconscious mind with positivity, it will attract exactly to what you desire in your life.
So, when you experience fear, instead of saying, “I am afraid of this”, say to yourself, “I am afraid, but I am prepared for this. I know I can handle and this shall pass.” The more positive affirmations you include in your life, the stronger you will become.
Stay Physically Active:
“Being physically active can help you overcome fear to a greater extent. When you feel or experience fear, start doing exercises that you love to do.
Running could be a great way to clear your mind and reduce anxiety, stress, and fear. You can also perform yoga if you are aware of it or can reach out for help from a yoga practitioner. Some other exercises that can help to overcome fear are hiking, weightlifting, swimming, dancing, and long walks.
Go For Nature-Walk:
Someone has rightly said, “Nature is the greatest place to heal and recharge.” According to the new field of nature-based therapies, it has been explained that being in nature can reduce fear and anxiety and also help in increasing pleasant feelings like those of calm, hopefulness, and happiness.
So, if you are fighting fear or anxiety, make sure you go for a nature walk in a green space like a park or garden. This will help you overcome your fear.
Talk About Your Fear:
Sharing your fears with your loved ones like your best friend, partner, family members or any other close one can be helpful. You can also go for counseling, or psychotherapy, or can reach out any online mental health service easily and share your feelings. This would be highly beneficial.
Final Words:
So, now that you are aware of so many different ways that can help you overcome your fear factor, next time when you encounter any sort of fear, try to follow the above strategies. Recognize your fear, address it, and learn to take things more positively. Get ready to transform!
