Fear is an emotion that everyone experiences. Though it’s not bad to have fear, it can keep you trapped inside of your comfort zone.
Fear often stops people from trying new things, learning, growing, and achieving what they want in life.
So if you’re struggling to face your fears & overcome them, read my helpful tips on how to face your fears and live your life with more confidence.
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How to face your fears in 5 ways.
1. Acknowledge your fear.
One way to overcome fear is to acknowledge it. 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. You might not even be aware that you have one.
If you’re unsure, here are some examples:
- I’m not experienced enough so I won’t ask for the salary I really want.
- I don’t want to ask for a date to the prom because I’m not good-looking enough.
- I’m too old to go back to school.
Fear can be the underlying cause of a limiting belief and it might be hard to identify at first. If you can recognize it, you can begin to change your beliefs. When you change your beliefs, you change the way you experience fear.
Just remember to be honest with yourself and give yourself plenty of compassion, time, and patience. Once you identify your limiting beliefs and let them go, you can start to create beliefs that feel empowering.
3. Forgive.
Forgiveness isn’t easy and you shouldn’t do it until you’re ready to.
With that said, forgiveness is not about absolving a wrong that someone did to you. It’s about letting go of anger and resentment and not allowing it to control your life any longer.
One way to forgive someone is to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is a technique that allows you to become aware of what you are thinking and feeling in the present moment.
You allow yourself to think the thoughts & feel the feelings without attaching them to one another. If this is difficult, you can try breathing slowly as you process them.
Remind yourself that it’s temporary and the feelings and thoughts will pass through. While you are doing this, try to self-soothe like a mother would her child.
You can wrap your arms around yourself as you imagine yourself embracing your inner child. Or you can cup your hands around your face and allow the thoughts and feelings to arise and float away.
The Book of Forgiving by Desmond and Mpho Tutu
4. Practice mindfulness meditation.
Mindfulness meditation is a wonderful way to tap into your inner wisdom and keep yourself grounded & centered.
It can be done almost anytime, anywhere, and any place. According to a study, mindfulness meditation can help to extinguish fearful associations through exposure therapy.
“This exposure provides an opportunity to learn that these stimuli are not threatening and thereby facilitate adaptive regulation of emotional responses.”
To be successful, first a new memory must be created between the stimulus and a feeling of safety, then the ‘safety’ memory, rather than the original fearful memory, must be recalled when the stimulus is presented again in a new environment.”
In other words, fear can be eliminated through mindfulness meditation through repeated exposure to the fear and replacement with something that makes you feel safe.
In my experience, one of the best ways to start a mindfulness practice is to find a place that is quiet, where you can sit down comfortably. You close your eyes, or keep them open, and focus on your breath for a few minutes.
If you get distracted, bring yourself gently back to your breath. This is a great way to train your mind so that you can overcome your fear.
5. Start a journal.
Research shows that journaling can help alleviate stress and anxiety. The act of writing itself — even just putting words on paper — can have a calming effect on the body.
I prefer writing with pen and paper. Something about the act of physically writing something down is soothing. If you’d rather type or use an app, that’s perfectly fine as well.
When I journal, it helps me release my thoughts and feelings onto the paper. I always feel lighter and more free afterward.
You can start a morning page, or nightly journal practice, and write about your fears. You can even set a timer if you’re short on time and journal just a few minutes a day.
Journaling can give you more clarity about your fear and where it might be coming from. It will also be a type of release and safe space to keep your innermost thoughts & feelings.
What happens when we feel scared?
Fear is an emotional response to a perceived threat. The amygdala, which is responsible for processing fear in our brain, is triggered, sending messages to the body to increase heart rate and breathing.
Adrenaline and the stress hormone cortisol are released, making the body go into survival mode. The heart works harder than normal, and other systems in our bodies that are not necessary for survival are shunted.
These days, the threat to our safety is largely due to a perceived threat, uncertainty, or doubt. When we are afraid, our bodies are sent into fight or flight mode, even when there’s no clear & present danger.
If this occurs frequently, it could interfere with your normal activities, create more fear, cause the body to stress, and lead to disorders such as anxiety, panic, and phobias.
What happens when we’re not scared?
In the absence of fear and other emotional stressors, the body will enter a parasympathetic state.
The parasympathetic nervous system is associated with the “rest and digest” response, which increases blood flow to the stomach and intestines.
During rest, digestion is enhanced and the heart rate slows down. The pupils also dilate to allow more light into the eyes.
Parasympathetic activity promotes:
- relaxation
- rest
- digestion
- slowing down heart rate
- increasing blood flow to the intestines
- promoting salivation
It is often referred to as “the rest and digest” response, which allows us to recover the energy spent during stressful situations.
When we allow our bodies to rest, we allow ourselves to come back to equilibrium and even heal.
This means getting quality sleep each night and allowing ourselves to rest when we feel tired or need a mental break.
When our bodies get adequate rest, we feel refreshed, joyful, and better able to face whatever comes our way.
Last thoughts on overcoming fear.
One of the most difficult things in life is to face your fears and overcome them. It can also be one of the most rewarding because it’s good for your wellbeing, gives you profound insight, boosts your confidence, and helps you evolve as a person.
More ways to overcome fear.
When it comes to fear, mindset is everything because how you behave usually follows what you’re thinking. If you want to master your mind, read: 11 mindset hacks to master your mind and achieve your dreams.
If you want to take a deeper dive into what fear is, how it affects you, and even more ways to overcome it, be sure to check out: Fear in times of uncertainty and doubt and how to overcome it.
When was the last time you felt fear and how did you overcome it? Please share your thoughts in the comments!
