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Posted: May 31, 2021

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By Danielle

I‘m a health and wellness blogger from Ireland. Through personal struggle, I discovered balance and purpose in my life by incorporating meditation, yoga & pilates, journaling, and healthy eating! My path to self-discovery ignited a passion to share what I’ve learned and create a community of like-minded individuals searching for balance in this chaotic world!

How To Face Your Fears and Overcome Them

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No matter what you are afraid of, our fears won’t just go away unless we acknowledge them, and take action! I’ve compiled a list of a few techniques that have massively helped me learn how to face and overcome my fears.

Overcoming Fear is Power

If you have a fear of needles, the best way to conquer that fear is exposure. Exposure treatment works in stages, measuring your level of stress during each stage.

For example,

Stage 1 could be looking at pictures of needles.
Stage 2 may incorporate holding a needle.
Stage 3 could be watching somebody get an injection.
Stage 4, your blood is taken.

During exposure treatment, the subject’s stress will usually continue to decline the more they experience their fear.

I’ve noticed when I give in to my fears, they continue to grow. Similar to the exposure treatment, but in reverse.

But if I face my fear, bit by bit, exposing myself to them in manageable doses, I realize that my fears weren’t always as bad as I built them up in my head. Sometimes, our mind is our own worst enemy.

Use Your Imagination

Speaking of our mind as our worst enemy, one of the greatest horror directors of all time realized the dark power of the human mind. Alfred Hitchcock, the director of thrillers like Psycho, Vertigo, and The Birds, did not use blood or gore to frighten his audience.

He used their own mind.

Hitchcock didn’t show the killers committing the act – he let the viewer fill in the blanks and allowed them to create the terror and dread using their own imagination. The unknown was scarier than the known.

But as good as our own imagination is at frightening us, and filling us with anxiety and doubt, we can actually use our imagination to make situations better.

Instead of dreading that speech, you have to give to your coworkers tomorrow because you imagine yourself doing terrible, try imagining it differently. Imagine your coworkers laughing to that punchline you wrote, or clapping when you reveal the increase in quarterly earnings.

Our imagination is a great tool to scare us. But it’s also a great way to fight back and face our fears.

Nature and Exercise

Nature is brilliant therapy!

Just taking a walk in a garden or park a day could be the best way to increase mindfulness and manage your anxiety or fears.

Everywhere we look, nature helps our mental health! The design and pattern of leaves help us relieve stress. The color green has been found to reduce anxiety and bring about a sense of relaxation. And the aroma of plants like peppermint or lavender are proven to help alleviate symptoms of depression, relax the muscles, and lower our levels of frustration.

And exercise helps us clear our minds and focus on a single, productive task, instead of the thing we are dreading or avoiding. Also, when we exercise, we release endorphins in our body that boost our mood and confidence, while also decreasing our levels of stress hormones like cortisol.

Add some time in nature and regular exercise to your daily routine and you are more prepared to face any fear you may be encountering in your life.

To escape fear, you have to go through it, not around it.

What fears hold you back? How can you face them?

Maybe you’re afraid to ask for a raise, communicate your real feelings to someone, or afraid of being yourself in case you’re judged by peers?

I think of some of my fears as food for my inner ego. Looking at my life as a metaphoric car. I want to always be in the driver’s seat of this car; however, my ego sometimes takes control of the wheel. My ego is fed by my fears and insecurities.

One incredible way I’ve learned to silence my ego is to face my fears. Because when you face them, the ego is forced to sit in the back seat. And as you continue to confidently face your fears, you can move it into the boot.

Fear is just a feeling

Fear is just a feeling, and you have the power to overcome it.

Life puts these obstacles in front of us every single day to challenge us to overcome and learn valuable lessons. As you continue to face your fears and silence the ego, you will become more confident and ready to take on anything the world throws at you!

Try practicing a guided meditation to face your fears.

Keep growing and loving!