Facing your fears—and conquering them.

Fear is a very real emotion, and one that’s sometimes useful. After all, if you were to come across an angry bear in the woods… It would be best to be afraid!
However, sometimes fear can come from thoughts, beliefs and imaginary threats that our minds create.
Whether you’re facing a situation in your life that could actually harm you, or you have anxiety attacks that are debilitating and devastating—or even if fear is simply holding you back from doing something you’d like to do—there are ways you can conquer your fear. 

Read more after the cut


What technique or techniques you use, though, will depend on the thing or the situation that you’re afraid of, and how you want to focus on facing your fear.

Do the thing you fear

For example, if you’re scared of dogs, you might try to conquer your fear by letting a friend’s puppy say hello. If that’s too much at first, what about watching some videos on YouTube? Afraid of water? Going to the beach with someone you trust could help you reduce your anxiety.
This is because doing something you’re afraid of is often the best way to conquer your fear. Face it head on, and don’t run away. The goal is to help you see that fear is just a feeling—and that it really can’t harm you.

Learn about what scares you

There are other types of fears, though—ones that you can’t always push through in the same way. Instead, you need other ways to face serious fears regarding events that you can’t conquer through experience.
For example, many people are afraid of dying. Maybe frightened by the process, or by the unknown, or maybe they’re just reluctant to think about friends and loved ones left behind after they’re gone. It’s harder to face a fear of death, obviously, because it’s not exactly something you can do just to see what it’s like.
In this case, researching and learning all you can about death and dying may help you feel calmer and more in control. For many people, the more they understand about something the less power it holds over them. When that’s the case, they can work toward a less fearful feeling as they think about the event.
You might never completely get over your fear if you’re afraid of something as big as death, but you can certainly come to with it, just as you can come to terms with any event, belief, or idea, and reduce the level of fear you experience.
It’s completely understandable that you would want to run from your fear instead of facing it, but try to remember that facing fear and conquering it is, emotionally, so much better for you.
Facing fear can also empower you and help you feel stronger and braver overall, so you can get past additional fears you might have, or feel better when you’re placed in a stressful situation you haven’t even thought about yet.
With so many benefits to feeling less afraid, facing your fears and conquering them is well worth the effort.