“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified, terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” This is one famous quote of the late president Franklin D. Roosevelt on his First Inaugural Address on March 4, 1933.
As the quote above implies, fears are unjustified and can paralyze our efforts to advance in our lives. But what are fears? Why can it be so powerful to stop us from doing certain things?
Fears are known to be unreasonable ideas of certain objects, events, places or feelings. Because of its irrational being, it can also be considered as a person’s weakness. That is why most people do not talk about them; much less admit that they have those fears. We can get used to living with our fears and be unconscious of them.
Fear can also be a good thing. It can lead us to safety and keep us or a loved one from danger. Some fears give us signals that there is a threat or we are facing danger. We listen to these fears for us to respond correctly for our own good.
However, most of the fears that we have are irrational especially our being afraid of particular things or situations. These are the fears that can ruin our day, restrict us from enjoying our everyday activities. Sometimes we call this type of fear phobia. A person afraid of flying could mean he might be missing out a promotion at work. That is already passing on a great opportunity just because the person cannot face his fears.
Fears can be so powerful that they can cease us from doing certain things because we, ourselves, give power to them. We let fears rule our lives rather than us ruling them. These are negative scripts that we programmed ourselves with, or allowed somebody to, and tell us what consequences will happen should we be involved in certain situations or behavior.
Because of this authority we have given to our fears, we suffer negative consequences from them. One of these consequences is the ability of fear to immobilize us. Fears can prevent us from having sensible problem solving and decision making skills. These restrict us from letting us go beyond our comfort zone and change things that can help improve our lives.
These results of protecting our fears and letting them rule us are not healthy. As early as possible, different steps should be taken in order for us to overcome these fears and be able to face them.
Overcoming Fear
The first step in order for us to overcome our fears is to be able to identify and label them. This way, we will be able to know the correct steps to take to properly resolve them. A systematic plan on how to go about these steps will help in a better and more successful journey of overcoming these fears.
Affirmation is also one good thing to do. Letting go of our insecurities and just learning to trust ourselves and others will gradually lessen our dependence on our fears.
Aside from these self-help strategies, one can also seek professional help in dealing with fears. This is most recommended when these fears already get in the way and interrupt us from doing our day-to-day activities. The most common technique professionals do to help their clients is the exposure therapy. They expose their clients to whatever they are afraid of gradually until they can face those fears on their own. This has been proven to be the most effective and efficient technique among others.
People who are trying to overcome their fears must also allow for set backs and relapses. This is common to any condition being treated. Getting rid of these fears is not an overnight thing. It will definitely take time but the results would be immense.
Since fears are something that we learned or developed, they can definitely be unlearned as well. Even those intense ones can be reduced and possibly be eliminated. Believe it or not, fear is something that we can take full control of. Though, this may take time to learn, it will surely be beneficial once we discover how to manage and manipulate these fears.
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