Help With Overcoming Fear

Fear is one of the most major obstacles of modern life. And even the roots of fear are easy to trace. Existential philosophers might have talked morbidly of the terrific alienation of the individual in the universe, but in common speak it is because you tend to feel helpless when you have to deal with the many situations at home and work.

It is because one feels that one would not be able to live up to everything that is demanded of her or him that fear results. Fear here is primarily fear of failure, not being able to live up to your own expectations, and more importantly, living up to the expectations of those near to you.

That is not however, all that there is to worry about fear. With the kind of world we live in, even forms of anxieties might result in fear. Serial killers on the loose, highways at night or the neighboring departmental stores, somebody impersonating you, what is called identity theft, and worst of all, the fear of a terrorist attack. You can hardly go out of your home today without fearing for the safety of your life or the threat to your well being.

But, there is hope. Yes, seriously. The most comforting fact of all, first of all, is that you are not the only one who is afraid. There are millions like you. In fact, all of us today are afraid and fearful in some degree or the other. And that is why we all need to understand that fear can be overcome.

- Fear, first of all, is mostly caused by irrational anxieties. Once you learn to recognize this, then you can relax more, and come together with those who share similar feelings as you do. For example - you are far more likely to die, in terms of statistics, out of a heart attack, or hit by a bus, than you would while you have gone scuba diving or by a terrorist attack. Yet far more people are afraid of invisible assassins lurking in our midst, although chances of encountering one yourself, as I said, are minimal.

- Next is the question of overcoming fear. You need to examine the causes of your fear. This is where self examination helps you the most. Try and learn the root causes of your fear. Of course you can go to a shrink to have help, but also equally useful is if you ask yourself and identify what makes you fearful. You see, sometimes fear is caused by false belief, belief which is completely irrational and yet which is something you take very seriously yourself.

Two very common examples are fear of speaking in public and fear of strangers. Both are very common. Now here, as in everywhere, it is the persistence of false belief that is crucial. Once you recognize the error, and try to sort it by practicing it yourself, you can gradually see your fear disappear. Attempt doing something you thought were impossible earlier, you will see it's becoming easier to accomplish now.

Sam Crowley is a top
Motivational Speaker with a no-nonsense approach to creating champions.