If you want to learn how to overcome fear, well, it’s not going to be that easy. What? Does that scare you or shock you? It shouldn’t! Fear is a very strong emotion and a natural mechanism that actually protects us from potential dangers in our surroundings. It’s true that some fears are rational, but there are also fears that are just absurd and totally irrational.
Emotions are powerful and create discomfort and let’s be honest, us humans don’t like discomfort, that is why we don’t confront our fears.
While it’s true that having positive thoughts daily could help you overcome some of your fears, it’s important that you first make yourself aware of what you’re afraid of so that you can figure out how you can handle them.
Fear of Losing Freedom
The fear of losing one’s freedom is something that most, if not all, of us have. Perhaps in your younger days, you experienced being grounded in your room for a few days as a punishment for the mistake you committed. The fear of losing freedom is also the reason why people stay away from unlawful things. In general, people do not want to go to jail and lose their freedom.
Fear of the Unknown
It’s human nature to prefer to be in situations where we have complete control of everything that’s happening. When we lack control of a situation, that’s when we start to feel fear. The fear of the unknown comes from the belief that if we are able to know what’s out there, we will be in control. Otherwise, there’s no way we can control things. Unfortunately, this fear of the unknown can prevent us from realizing opportunities and making progress in life.
Fear of Disappointment
Humans fear two kinds of disappointment – disappointing others and disappointing yourself. We are likely to avoid doing something we are not certain about because we are afraid of disappointment. We worry a lot that we may not be able to meet the expectations of other people, or even our own expectations. Too often, we end up not trying at all because we want to avoid the feeling of disappointment.
Fear of Ridicule
So many people have stage fright, which is fear of being ridiculed. For many of us, bad criticisms from other people cause us to lose self-confidence. We know we are good at something, but we choose not to let the world know about our talents because it’s possible that some people will not accept us, and instead, will criticize and mock us.
Fear of Failure
Our fear of failure is one that can affect our lives in significant ways. Being afraid of failing can rule over our actions and decisions. Because we don’t want to fail, we just stop trying. It is also fear of failure that causes other negative feelings, such as frustration and disappointment.
We all have positive and negative attitudes, but we all need to learn how to control the negative ones so they may not hinder us from succeeding or attaining happiness. If you want to overcome your fears, seek help. Kenneth Todd is a life coach who can help you eliminate your limiting thoughts and train your mind to become more positive.