Coping With Fear And Anxiety
Fear is nothing new, it affected every one of us. It is a natural response we experienced when our body nervous system sensed the presence of danger. We inherited this survival instinct from our hunter ancestors which gave them the edge in times of danger and life-threatening situations. But what happens if your fear has got nothing to do with danger? Something trivial like public speaking or giving a presentation? So, how can we learn to cope with fear and anxiety so that it does not prevent us from achieving our goals and succeeding in life?
If you can’t confront your fears and anxieties, then how can you master the art of self-awareness and make everything about yourself better? Self-awareness is the ability to look at yourself in a critical way to notice what makes you feel good or bad about yourself. You can’t win any popularity contests if you are always worried about how other people think of you. Only by facing your fears can you gain the respect and admiration of others.
So how do you master the art of self-awareness and overcome fear? One of the first steps is to understand that everything you fear, fears everyone else, including yourself. Once you understand that you’re an individual with unique attributes, strengths and weaknesses, then you can find the courage to step outside your comfort zone. You don’t have to worry about your limitations, because you are the only limit. You just have to find the strength to move forward regardless of where that takes you.
You must realize that you alone are responsible for your fears and anxieties. This means that you can’t rely on someone else to help you talk back to your fears. If you take a few minutes to evaluate where you are in your fears and anxieties, you will be much closer to mastering the art of self-awareness and overcoming your fears and anxieties. Below are some of the top areas to focus on as you begin your journey to talk back to your fears.
The first area to focus on is where you stand concerning your personality type. Many people are naturally fearful, and some are afraid most of the time and their personality shows that. To overcome your fears and anxieties, you need to identify which personality type you fall into. Once you know the shape your personality takes, then you can determine where you need to work on overcoming your fears and anxieties.
Secondly, is to understand what is causing it. When there is a fear, there is usually an obstacle or a problem that needs to be overcome. Identifying the problem is one of the first steps to overcoming the fear. Find out what is stopping you from succeeding.
Once you have identified the problem, try to pinpoint the cause of your fear. Is it because you do not like doing something? Is it because you do not have enough experience doing it? Or perhaps it is because you are afraid of the outcome? Once you have identified the cause, you will then know where you stand.
The third area that you need to pay attention to is where you are labelling your fears and anxieties. Everyone has a certain way to handle their fears and anxieties. To avoid or come face to face with them. If you were to choose to avoid the problems or situation you have been strangled with, you might feel better, but only for the short term as the root of the problem persist. It will only cause you more anxiety in long term. Moreover, by doing so, you are sowing the seed of incompetency in your brain. On the other hand, facing your fear head-on will let your brain get accustomed to the fear and anxiety, ultimately removing one item in the bucket list of holding you back.
The final area in which you need to focus on is how you are responding to your fears and anxieties. It is important that you recognize when you are scared and what you can do to overcome them. One good way to do this is to practice positive visualization by thinking happy thoughts about the task you are afraid of or imagining yourself accomplishing it. You can also use mantras, affirmations, and visualizations to help train your mind and body to be able to overcome fear and anxiety on their own. By paying attention to these areas, you will find that you can overcome your fears and anxieties on your own.
Some people are naturally born with more than their share of fear to succeed in life. However, there are times when fear can overtake your life and you cannot help but become discouraged. If this is the case, try to remember that fear is just an emotion. It will go away eventually and you can easily overcome any fear if you continue to persevere in your efforts to succeed in life.
