I used to be so scared of public speaking that when I had to do presentations in front of the class in high school, my voice would get high pitched and shake the whole time.
It got so bad that I would even get nervous ordering food at restaurants in front of my own family and friends.
Then in college, I took a class on public speaking. It helped me face my fear of public speaking and overcome it.
I learned how to stop letting fear control my life and build other skills to help me conquer other fears.
If you’re struggling like I once did, I’ll share five ways I was able to face my fears, so you can overcome yours.
1. Acknowledge Your Fear.
One way to overcome fear is to acknowledge it. I used to run away instead of acknowledge my fear because I thought that it would go away if I didn’t face it.
I found out over time that this tactic rarely ever worked and even made it harder to face my fear. It’s hard to acknowledge your fear because it’s super uncomfortable and can leave you feeling vulnerable.
But once you are able to acknowledge your fear and move through it, and you’ll have a better chance of overcoming it so it doesn’t control you.
2. Identify Your Limiting Beliefs.
A limiting belief is something you tell yourself that isn’t true and often holds you back from taking action or going after what you want.
All throughout school, I rarely raised my hand in class because I didn’t think my opinions were good enough.
During senior year in high school, I didn’t go to my prom (even though me and my friends could have gone together) because I thought I would look lame showing up without a date.
I didn’t believe I was good enough to show up alone to my prom and I didn’t put myself in leadership positions because I didn’t believe in myself.
These limiting beliefs were rooted in fear and perpetuated a cycle of negativity. Learning to identify them was a critical first step in overcoming my fears.
Sometimes we can be so afraid of our fears that we can’t even admit them to ourselves in the first place. And if we can’t ever admit we have them, we’ll have a hard time overcoming them.
The next time you have a limiting belief, just know that it’s enough that you’re aware of it. It’s only when you can identify a limiting belief that you can change it and begin the process of overcoming your fear.
3. Forgive Yourself.
Forgiving is letting go of something wrong that was done to you. I won’t go into details about who or what I forgave, but I will say that each time I did, I felt lighter.
The power that the act and the other person had over me would lose its grip and sometimes disappear completely.
Forgiveness isn’t easy and you shouldn’t do it until you’re ready to. It’s not about absolving a wrong that someone did to you. It’s about letting go and learning to process the grip that it once had on you.
Once you’re ready, forgiveness invites compassion, which can help you overcome fear.
4. Practice Mindfulness Meditation.
Mindfulness meditation is a technique that helped me practice presence by allowing my thoughts and feelings to surface without letting them control me.
It took a bunch of failed attempts before I actually got the hang of it, but it was worth it because it helped me overcome my fears.
I still use it to this day and I’m able to process fear by allowing it to move through me without attachment to thoughts or other emotions.
If you’ve been hesitant to try, I highly recommend a free program online that helped me get started. It’s called Palouse Mindfulness and it’s an 8-week program.
Or, you can start a simple one right away from a recording I made. It’s a 5-minute guided meditation that you can download and use any time. You can grab it for free by filling out the form below:
5. Start Journaling.
Journaling can be a gentle but very effective tool for overcoming your fear. I find that the act of writing itself can have a calming effect on my body.
I think it’s because it helps me release my thoughts and feelings on paper. I always feel lighter and even have a sense that I accomplished something meaningful.
Journaling can help you get over your fear by exposing you to it through words on a page, according to research.
By writing them down, you provide a safe space for your innermost thoughts & feelings, gain more understanding of them, and help you overcome your fear through writing.
If you’ve never journaled before and would like to start, you can get this free journal below:
Last Thoughts On Overcoming Fear.
Overcoming fear can be hard because of the strong grip that it can have on you. It can stop you from going after what you want, like asking someone out for a date, going after leadership positions, or even going to your high school prom.
But, it’s often very rewarding and the good news is, it’s not impossible.
You can overcome fear by acknowledging it, identifying your limiting beliefs, practicing mindfulness meditation, forgiving yourself, and journaling.
Do you have any tips to overcome fear? Please share in the comments below.
