Overcoming Fear Conquering fear is possible when you have the motivation, the tools and persistence to deal with it. I had horrible fears of flying but managed to earn my pilot’s license. I’ve had a difficulty with heights and bridges for as long as I can remember. But not too long ago I trekked in the Nepal Himalaya to Everest Base Camp where narrow bridges with broken wood floors swing high above the rivers below. My paintings hang on the walls of our home and I am writing. I know now that feelings of rejection are the stories I have told myself since childhood. Childhood is where many of our fears come from. These tales were a part of my own private drama. Now, when these feelings of apprehension return, I can flick them away knowing they were simply figments of my imagination — the script I had written for myself. I had no tools for overcoming fear then. I still feel queasiness with some of the fears above. But the nervousness is manageable. It doesn’t interfere with my life progress anymore. That’s what you are aiming for too — to recognize your fear, to know where it may have come from and if not to overcome your fear, at least to handle it. All you need is the motivation and desire to change your thinking and then the determination and courage to move forward. With some effort, you will succeed and become a stronger person with solid confidence and positive self esteem. You will feel pride in your accomplishment. Overcoming fear is absolutely possible. Check out What Causes Fear to understand its origins. “What you feed grows. What you starve dies.” Anonymous Click Here to go to information on how to conquer specific fears. The information I give you is for overcoming fear only. Anxiety is related to fear. But anxiety is a chronic apprehension. For definitions of fear and anxiety and help with understanding these emotions, have a look at the first few paragraphs of List of Fears. For information on anxiety, go to Anxiety Disorder. Have a look at Symptoms of Anxiety Disorder to discover its origins and at Help for Anxiety for the tools to deal with it. Also go to Panic Attack and Fear of Flying for help and support. The sources for this information on overcoming fear are professionals in their fields. In some cases the material comes from people who have studied and developed successful and respected self help programs based upon their own personal challenges with anxieties and phobias. I also write from my own personal experiences for overcoming fear. Click Here for the books consulted on overcoming fear. Ten Tops Ways for Overcoming Fear1. Get to know yourself better. Finding out who we are and what we have to offer the world is a major life quest. It’s also one of the fundamental ways to conquer fear. When you know yourself, you will also begin to understand your apprehension. To help this process, ask yourself these five top questions for overcoming fear —
For support with the process of growth and understanding, start a journal. Writing is one of the best ways, along with meditation to get to know yourself. Writing helps in overcoming fear. A study on the benefits of writing as a healing practice was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Here is the study’s context — “Nonpharmacological treatments with little patient cost or risk are useful supplements to pharmacotherapy in the treatment of patients with chronic illness. Research has shown that writing about emotionally traumatic experiences has a surprisingly beneficial effect on symptom reports, well-being, and health care use in healthy individuals. Set aside 5 – 15 minutes every day for writing. The act of writing will not only refresh your mind, body and soul, but it is one of the top methods for self-discovery and healing. Ten years ago, I started writing ‘morning pages’ using Julia Cameron’s, The Artist’s Way. This is a terrific self discovery guide. Also have a look at Values of Life for help with understanding the things that are important to you. Knowing yourself is crucial for overcoming fear. To help your writing process, go to Journal Writing Prompts. Here are three top questions to answer in your journal —
Fear of failure is the biggest fear people have. It is closely related to fear of criticism and rejection. Success and freedom from fear is possible. Motivate yourself by visualizing the things you love to do. Begin by creating a vision board. 2. Think of the benefits of overcoming fear and the cost of missed opportunities. Taking risks gives huge rewards. I love flying now, for example. It has given me a greater sense of pride of accomplishment because it was so difficult. 3. Take action — bold, decisive action. Do something frightening. Since fear of failure is immobilizing you, you must act. I know this from experience. About 60 hours into my pilot training, my instructor said, “You’re ready for your first solo flight now.” I returned home and for the next two weeks had the most terrible nightmares you could imagine. I ran out of fuel mid air, crashed into fields, flew into mountains, and taxied into hangers too narrow for the aircraft. I didn’t have to watch horror movies, they were in my head. After two weeks of not flying my husband, my instructor and I met at the Brampton Flying Club. My instructor said, “Lynda, I’m no Freud. But you are taking lessons so you can fly a plane. Flying a plane means flying it on your own. I can’t give you more lessons until you fly solo. You are good pilot. You are very capable of flying your plane. Now go home and think about this. Are you going to fly or not?” Never in my life had I faced such insurmountable fear. I had already passed the ground theory part of flight test. I had my Radio Operators’ License and Student Pilot Permit which authorized me to fly solo. Bob had spent a ton of money on my lessons. I’d invested a few hundred hours of my time to that point. For another week I battled with my inner demons. I tried to convince myself to give up the time and money and walk away. But I couldn’t. I just could not let myself off the hook. I felt so embarrassed by my impotence. So I got into the car, drove to the airplane and soloed. And up there, was I afraid? Not a bit. I was so focused on managing the aircraft and making radio calls that I didn’t have the liberty to be afraid. So that’s it in a nutshell. Distracting yourself with bigger concerns than your fear is a huge solution to overcoming fear. 4. Take small steps. This might seem opposite to the point above. You will have to decide which is better for your particular fear — bold decisive action or small steps. I didn’t have the option of small steps. For me it was either staying on the ground or flying in the air on my own. But if you have the option and your fear is overwhelming you, start small. For example, if you have fear of public speaking and know you have to give a speech well enough in advance, start by greeting people more on the street. Talk more in group conversations. Offer your opinions. Get out of your own skin more. Move forward slowly. Develop small steps for overcoming fear. 5. Get rid of your negative thoughts. For help with this, go to Self Doubt. 6. See failure from a different perspective. Think back to the time you were learning to ride a bike. Did you fall a few times? I know I did. Did you stop cycling? I bet not. You got back on that bicycle seat with your scraped knees and eventually rode off. Now you can develop that same motivation because you want to feel successful in overcoming your fear. 7. Do things differently. If what you are doing isn’t working, do something else. There’s a saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. Another saying is, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve got.” 8. Persist. If you want to conquer your fear, don’t give up. Keep at it. 9. Don’t give yourself a way out. When success and failure are the only options, do what the leaders of ancient Greek armies did to keep the armies fighting. They burnt the boats upon landing on shore so there was no going back. 10. Celebrate your success at overcoming fear. Acknowledging your achievements will encourage you to keep moving forward. Overcoming Fear Overcoming Fear That is Specific1. Fear of public speakingIf you have anxiety and public speaking, the only solution is to find opportunities to speak. From my personal experience and from mentoring many speakers in the Toastmaster program over a ten year period, with practice you will get rid of this number one fear. Also have a look at Public Speaking. and Self Doubt. You’ll have the most success if you change your perspectives. Here are statements to write down and repeat to yourself over and over again —
2. Fear of flying If you fear flying, you are also not alone. Twenty per cent of the population is afflicted with this fear. It has the number two spot on the list of fears. Here are actions to take —
3. Claustrophobia Engage in some cognitive self therapy. Get help to challenge your false idea that being in a crowed space is life threatening. Start small. Choose short tunnels and short bus trips. Shift your thinking. Easy does it. Also, look at the benefits of travel and other opportunities you are missing. 4. Fear of disease Start by becoming aware of your fear of illness.After becoming aware stop researching illnesses and going to doctors for continual reassurance. The risk of having a life threatening disease is very low. 5. Dental phobia
6. Blood/injection phobia Here is a list of steps to take —
7. Fear of vomiting First find out whether you are afraid of vomiting or a rejection of others who might see you vomiting. Or is it a fear of losing control of your body? You need to identify the core fear. Once you know the fear, gradually expose yourself to situations where you have to face it. 8. Fear of heights This fear often combines with fear of flying, elevators and bridges. Here are the steps for overcoming this fear — With careful strategies, overcoming fear is not too difficult.
9. Animal and insect phobiasOvercoming fear of animals and insects involves gradual exposure as with fear of heights.
10. Fear of death Overcoming this fear may need some deep philosophical reflection on the meaning of life. Live your life to the fullest possible. Know that everyone has to deal with the reality of death one day. Fear of the death of a loved one is difficult. But it is also an opportunity to develop the inner strength to stand on your own in the absence of a loved one. Read books about the existence of an afterlife. Try hypnotherapy for overcoming fear. With effort and persistence, overcoming fear is totally possible. By facing your fears, you will become stronger, more confident and proud of the person you are. List of Books 1. The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Edmund J. Bourne, Ph.D.  2. Managing Your Mind: The Mental Fitness Guide by Gillian Butler Ph.D. and Tony Hope Ph.D.  3. From Panic to Power: Proven Techniques to Calm Your Anxieties, Conquer Your Fears, and Put You in Control of Your Life by Lucinda Bassett. Bassett is a former sufferer of anxiety, agoraphobia, panic attacks and depression. She is president of The Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety.  4. Free Yourself From Fear: Self Hypnosis For Anxiety, Panic Attacks and Phobias by Valerie Austin. Austin is an internationally renowned English hypnotherapist, trainer, lecturer, author and journalist.  5. 101 Exercises for the Soul: Simple Practices for a Healthy Body, Mind and Spirit by Dr. Bernie S. Siegel  6. Overcoming Anxiety For Dummies by Charles H. Elliott Ph.D. and Laura L. Smith Ph.D. Self Esteem Exercises Self Esteem Activities Emotional Intelligence Journal Writing Prompts Public Speaking Journal Writing Self Esteem Quotes Setting a Goal Vision Boards Body Language Go from Overcoming Fear to List of Fears Go to Self Esteem Home Page This material is for your personal use only.
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