498"To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom." Bertrand Russell
All of us, without exception, would have experienced fear in some form or another. It is equally possible that most of us would have overcome most of these fears but are plagued by some select fears still. There would also be the more unfortunate lot who perhaps have not been able to overcome some of the fears and continue to be terrorized. While extreme psychological problems could explain acute fears and phobias that would require expert treatment, for the vast majority, the fears they suffer from are largely self-imposed, partly justified but definitely not to be ignored. It is essential that each of us confront our fears or they will be shackles that will limit our ability to soar higher in our life.
Here are 3 ways to conquer our fears:
Acknowledge them: Most times we tend to ignore our fears and hope they go away. Other times we are so ashamed of it we hide it to the best of our ability. Like a good doctor who focuses on the diagnosis, one must be ready to face the reality and identify our fears no matter how trivial it may seem to others. By acknowledging our fears, we are pinpointing the problem, we become more conscious and aware of the reality and we then have an opportunity to work on eliminating the problem. For example, many people are afraid of change. However, they would mask it in the garb of being comfortable with the existing setup or dismiss suggestions of change as 'not really suited for an old dog to learn new tricks.' The danger here is that change may overtake us, and then we would crib that we missed the opportunity or that we weren't given a fair chance to keep up with new systems, etc.
Assess them: It is essential to be pragmatic about our fears and assess them. Not all fears need to be confronted. Many fears can be ignored for they might not impact us directly. A fear of going underwater or paragliding is not majorly career-limiting or life-impacting unless one wants to make a career in it. However, it is imperative that we assess each of our fears that we acknowledge and rationalize its relative importance in our life. For a lawyer in court, effective public speaking skills would be almost as important as knowing the law. Theatrics may not count for much, although it may have some impact too. By assessing the fears, we can pay special attention to those that are critical and take corrective steps. For example, our fear of public speaking could possibly be the result of a failed public performance in childhood for which we were mercilessly chided. However, if we cloak it under the garb of being shy and do nothing about it, we would never overcome it, and possibly our potential would be limited and stunted to that extent.
Attack them: There are no soft options to confront our fears. However, if we manage to appreciate the psychological and logical reasoning for our fears, we would have won half the battle. The tougher part is to attack our fears by taking the risk of confronting them. This must be done cautiously, deliberately, and purposefully. In being cautious, one has to take steps to ensure that the process is chosen with care and that it won't make a bad situation worse. In being deliberate, the process is executed to a plan with safeguards to minimize the risks if any. In being purposeful, there are planned goals that one seeks to attain, and then thereafter one resets the bar to achieve better results.
In overcoming our fears, we achieve 3 things. We eliminate our fear or at least minimize it, we increase our potential and end up being confident and successful.
Remember: "Like Pain, fear can be controlled." Joss Whedon
Try these:
1. Identify 3-5 of your fears and outline at least 3 steps to overcome them. For example, fear of mathematics or fear of snakes/cockroaches/rats, or fear of meeting people in authority like a school principal/chairman, etc.
2. How would you react to the following situations?
During your annual medical checkup, the doctor expresses a doubt that you have a possible cancerous lymph node.
A file containing confidential information which is kept for safekeeping is suddenly not traceable after the office has been shifted to a new location.
You have borrowed your friend's car for an urgent trip, and unfortunately, another rash driver smashes his vehicle into the car you are driving and badly damages it.
Your best friend accuses you of gossiping behind his/her back and refuses to have any ties with you.
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From India, Mumbai
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You have given the right prescription for the most common fears faced by the average person. The situations provided in the "Try These" section are a good example of the types of fears that many of us encounter in daily life. However, acute fears like phobias would possibly require expert help from a psychologist, or in extreme cases, a psychiatrist.
From India, Pune
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From India, Pune
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Hi,
Yes, acute phobias would require expert counseling and remedial action. However, in my view, most of us suffer from imaginary fears, irrational worries, and sadly, almost all of us believe that we are the only ones suffering. As a result of this negative thought process, we plod through life rather than enjoying the exhilarating thrills and experiences that life has to offer.
Discover life is my suggestion.
Regards
From India, Mumbai
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Yes, acute phobias would require expert counseling and remedial action. However, in my view, most of us suffer from imaginary fears, irrational worries, and sadly, almost all of us believe that we are the only ones suffering. As a result of this negative thought process, we plod through life rather than enjoying the exhilarating thrills and experiences that life has to offer.
Discover life is my suggestion.
Regards
From India, Mumbai
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Phobia or any fear has a unique process in the brain through which a person experiences nervousness or "fear." NLP is an excellent method for restructuring how information is represented in the brain, leading to easy and lasting changes in behavior. I highly recommend exploring NLP!
From India, Delhi
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From India, Delhi
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