How to overcome your fears

Everybody has a fear. Actually at most cases more than one. Some people are afraid of highs, some of failure, others of a completely different thing. 

Some people are afraid of something due to a childhood trauma or a painful moment from their past, while others don’t know the particular reason - it is on subconscious level. 

Fear is natural to every living creature. It is one of the most powerful emotions, which affect our mind. Fear can actually help us keep ourselves safe. However, it can also prevent us from doing things that we want and sometimes even ruin our daily lives. Luckily, it can be overcome with enough will. Here I will provide you with some advice, which I hope to be helpful. 

1. Find out where your fear comes from and why.

This step is really important. You should be aware of what is the actual thing that frightens you. Moreover, by realizing the reason you will know what exactly you should try to change. This might be a hard one as well. If you can’t figure it out, try talking to the people that are close to you. They will look at the situation from a different perspective and tell you their personal opinion. 

2. Face your fear if you can.

Expose yourself to the fears, which are not life-threatening, over and over until you realize that it is not that scary and nothing can go terribly wrong. For instance, if you are frightened from public speaking and always avoid doing it, the fear will stay where it is and whenever you have to give a speech or talk on a topic in front of an audience it will show itself. Instead, every time you get the chance, face your fear and after some time you will notice that it is minimized, or even gone. 

3. Learn relaxation techniques.

You should find a method that will help you relax and take control over your fear. Try to breathe deeply, relax your muscles and be positively disposed. After all, one of the most important steps is to set your mind properly – be optimistic and believe that you can do this! You might be surprised how much comfort it will give you. 

Don’t forget that it is completely OK to have fears, this makes us human creatures, this makes us who we are. Fear can be really healthy, as it can sometimes save our lives. What you have to do is simply not let it take control over your life and surpass your positive emotions. All in all, if you can’t overcome your fear just learn to live with it and keep it under control. 

Let me finish with a quote from George R. R. Martin’s “A Game of Thrones”: 

        “Bran thought about it. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?'
           'That is the only time a man can be brave,' his father told him.”