If you feel a flash of fear about an upcoming deadline or event, make it an opportunity to make a plan of action to get fully prepared, whether that means getting started on a paper, rehearsing for a play or practicing a speech.
Fear can be used as a tool to help us identify problems and solve them effectively. It’s a guidepost that warns us when something needs attention. Once the discomfort of the initial wave of fear passes, examine it more closely to see what you can learn.
Many people experience stage fright, yet the fear leading up to a performance can help you be in the moment and focus intensely on what is before you. Learn to acknowledge the fear and then direct it to where it will be most beneficial.
The same things we fear also incite feelings of exhilaration and even passion. That’s why people enjoy extreme sports, horror movies, and swimming with sharks on holiday. Try to re-frame your fear in a positive light, and acknowledge the thrill it can offer.
When your body experiences fear, lots of triggers ready your body for a “fight-or-flight” action response. Learn to override this response by counteracting with relaxation techniques. Relaxation tells your body that there is no danger and that you are safe.
Running from fears never improves the way you feel about a fear. Next time you experience a fear, verbally engage the fear, using words that describe your fear and anxiety.
The power to label your emotions is beneficial for self-understanding and emotional intelligence. Engaging with a fear and verbalising your fear has incredible power to help you overcome fears and regulate emotions.
“Exposing yourself to your fear” means doing small steps until you feel no fear. If you’re afraid of dogs, start by looking at a badly drawn doodle of a dog until you feel no fear response. Then, look at a photo of a dog, then a video of a dog and so on, until no fear response exists at each stage.
You can put your fears in perspective, see them rationally, then deal with them. Start small. Once you’ve done this with one of your fears, use this as an example to yourself that you can and have achieved this change, and can use this process to successfully make other changes.