Fear, our well-known companion makes its entrance only at special moments, requiring us to explore the depths of decision-making. But, how does overcoming fears turn them into strengths? It’s an amazing journey. And you have to have balls and not give up. I see always questions such as, how to get rid of fear, how to overcome a phobia, how to overcome the fear of failure, and so on. Through this, I start to realize how scared are we of certain stuff, or certain actions that we might do will turn the tables either in our favor or against us.
Do you want to finally let go of the fear and even better, make it become one of your strengths? – was the line that had always caught my attention no matter what I was scrolling on social media. And I’ve started to read about it, more and more. Then, to slowly learn more about this anxiety issue. After long periods of uncertainty regarding the reasons behind my fears, it made more sense. I was diving out of my comfort zone for a long period, putting pressure on myself to do certain stuff without realizing that It is not as simple as if I knew to do those stuff. If you want to see how I’ve got my courage back, let’s read more about overcoming fears.
About me, you, and different perspectives
I have fears, you have fears, and everyone has fears. But it’s quite hard to completely feel alive when moving forward implies fear. Once, I’ve got the luck to collect some testimonials regarding a volunteering experience that I and my friends had, and the one testimonial that I will never forget is from my friend Lucia, a girl from Spain. Besides all the true and valuable advice that we would give to future volunteers, Lucia’s was more special, and direct. And I think it could apply to our everyday lives, in all their essences and periods.
“Eliminating fear implies freedom”. Lucia just had turned my first phrase related to fear into a beautiful achievement. If I have said that moving forward implies fear, she had just turned it into a winning mechanism. This is the reason that I chose to write about fears and strengths, and why fears can become strengths. Because it is all a matter of personal perspective of how you decide to perceive things individually. Now, let’s get back on track and learn more about the topic.
What is fear?
Fear is the emotional reaction that is produced when we encounter a situation that we had never been in before, it’s the steps we take out of our comfort zone and the little creature that stays in our way to taking up risks explained deeper. When we have fear, we are definitely in a decisive state where if we do not react right, we risk increasing it and declaring it a routine state or a personality trait until we can prove ourselves otherwise. Fear is also the way of waking up the great creature that sleeps inside you, the birth of a new chapter, and the way courage is born.
Why do we fear?
One of the biggest reasons why we fear is the fact that we need to feel protected. We are equipped with survival instincts that are challenged every time we are feeling unsafe or in danger, and fears help us protect ourselves. In the meantime, we are accumulating some characteristics that afterward define us as being scared persons that let fear rule our lives.
Types of fears
Fears are of many kinds. From the fear of speaking in public to the fear of driving in my case. Moreover, they start from common phobias to the extreme fears that one could experience. The most common fears are.:
- fear of planes
- fear of animals
- fear of driving
- fear of public speaking
- fear of small spaces
- Fear of heights
Now, determine your fears. It doesn’t matter if your fear is different than any other.
The process of overcoming fears – How do fears become strengths?
It is said that whatever we focus on expands. If we focus on our fears, we give them more power over us. However, if we instead focus on turning our fears into strengths, we can begin to take control of our lives.
So how exactly can we do this? Well, it starts with understanding that our fears are often just based on old patterns of thinking. Once we understand where our fears come from, we can start to work on changing our thinking patterns. This can be difficult, but it is possible with practice and persistence.
As humans, have to respond to fears. We have two choices, either we keep it or let it go. And it’s both possibilities at one decision away. The answer to the question of how to overcome fear is to take all the determination that we have and fight it, through little steps or massive ones, until we turn it into one of our strengths.
How do we explain courage? – While overcoming fears
Courage is bravery. Courage is the escape from the thing that It’s been keeping you down. And is also the fuel for a new version of yourself that it’s in the process of developing. If you had tasted courage once and you liked it, you’ve just won over fear and your focus changed, you’re good! Now let’s get back to our main character, fear. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the decision to face it regardless. It is what allows us to develop and grow, both as individuals and as a society.
Without courage, we would never be able to overcome our fears and achieve our goals. We would never be able to stand up for what we believe in or make progress in the face of adversity. It is what makes us strong humans. And it is what we need to continue to thrive despite the challenges we face.
Getting out of our comfort zone step by step
If you want to grow and challenge yourself, it’s important to get out of your comfort zone regularly. But for many of us, the thought of doing something new and unknown can be downright scary. So how can we push ourselves to try new things and expand our horizons?
Fears become strengths when you finally decide that you can change the game, and you challenge yourself to become stronger. And doing so, eliminating fear implies freedom. I feel that my fears are telling me what I’m able to become if I play the game right. Agitation, scare, overthinking- all working if in the end I had achieved the beautiful goal of overcoming the fear and I’m slowly changing it into a strength.
We are people, and we can think, rethink, and analyze if to or not to decide while feeling fear. Then, is our duty to categorize the types of situations and possible decisions and always act after a thoughtful debate where we realize that putting a step is worth it. We have to still protect ourselves. Because the switch lies in between our fingers and when we take action, we want to know that we choose to proceed well.
What helps in overcoming fear? – Self-help and Cognitive behavioral therapy
Most of us like to stay in our comfort zone. It’s a safe place where we know what to expect and we don’t have to worry about the unknown. But if we want to grow and achieve our goals, we need to get out of our comfort zone and challenge ourselves.
The good news is that you don’t have to take a huge leap out of your comfort zone all at once. You can start small and gradually push yourself further and further. Here are some tips on how to get out of your comfort zone step by step:
Here are some tips on how to get out of your comfort zone step by step:
- Start with something easy. Choose something that you’re not completely comfortable with, but that you know you can do.
- Push yourself a little bit each day. Once you’re comfortable with the easy thing, challenge yourself to do something a little bit harder.
- Keep going.
CBT therapy for anxiety
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of therapy that helps people to change their negative thinking patterns and behaviors. CBT is effective in treating a wide range of mental health conditions, such as anxiety. CBT works by helping people to change the way they think and feel about anxiety-provoking situations. This can help to reduce the avoidance behaviors that are often associated with anxiety disorders.
If you or someone you know is struggling with anxiety, CBT may be worth considering. A therapist can help you to understand the thoughts and beliefs that are contributing to your anxiety and teach you skills to change the way you approach situations, and help you in overcoming fears.
Breath in faith breath out fear – One last piece of advice for overcoming fears
By working on turning our fears into strengths, we can start to take back control of our lives. We can become more confident and powerful, and we can begin to create the life we want. So, overcoming fears is a possible action and we are all able to do so. Lastly, we just have to take the 1st step into it with grace, no matter the type. Repetition is what makes us allow courage to take over the fear, and turn it into one of our strengths!
