Fear can be debilitating, crippling and paralysing. Does fear tend to rule your life decisions? Let’s see if I can help you live a more fulfilled life by helping you peel away the layers of fear so that you may be able to better see fear for what it really is.
The Reality of Fear
As we all know, fear is a natural response and though we tend to forget this in the moment, we all experience fear in our lives. When you take on new challenges, you will always experience some degree of fear. The aim is not to completely eliminate fear but rather learn how to manage it.
Is fear holding you back?
What are you afraid of? Feel free to go ahead and make a list of all the things you’re afraid of so that you’re better able to identify your fears.
How can you train your mind to overcome fear?
What’s the root cause of your fear?
The next time you feel fearful of something, question what it is that’s making you uncomfortable. Why do you feel the way you do? This understanding can help you overcome your fear in the most effective way.
Expose yourself to your fears
Be scared & do it anyway!
For instance, let’s say you’re afraid of public speaking and you want to overcame that fear of yours. When you do go ahead to speak publicly, you might fumble and be anxious/ nervous. Despite those things, challenge yourself to do it anyway.
Baby steps are the key to overcoming your fears
Work on overcoming small tasks you’re afraid of and keep taking small steps forward. You don’t have to throw yourself into the deep end at the first instance! Slowly but steadily is the way to go. If you’re afraid of talking to strangers, talk to someone for a couple of minutes or if you’re afraid of heights, go a couple floors higher than you usually would. Why not?
What tools can you use?
How to calm yourself in the moment? One of the most effective tools to calm your nervous system are breathing techniques e.g. simply taking deeper breaths. Another powerful strategy is to ask yourself more positive questions to shift your mindset! For example, instead of asking yourself ‘Can my day get even worse?’, ask yourself ‘What am I grateful for right now?’. How does the latter question make you feel compared to the first one?
What are the benefits of overcoming fear?
Once you begin to face your fears, you will begin to feel liberated.
Your ability to overcome your fears is directly linked to an increase in self-esteem, self-respect and confidence. Though facing your fears is frightening in the short-term, it’s immensely rewarding in the long-term! Have a think about all the doors of opportunities that’ll open up for you, enabling you to live a more fulfilled life.
What challenge are you going to set for yourself? Would you like to undertake the 24 challenge with us? Face an activity you might otherwise avoid for charity this Giving Tuesday, thereby helping others by helping yourself! Are you scared of public speaking? Speak on a topic your passionate about for 24 minutes! Or perhaps you’re afraid of a certain task. Do that task consistently for 24 days! We’d love to see you post your completed challenges and make sure to tag us with the hashtag #HelpYourselfToHelpOthers on social media.
Keep in mind: You have the willpower to overcome any fears you have.
Would you like to discover how empowered you truly are? Feel free to take our free empowered score test at https://empowered.scoreapp.com/ to find out where you are at on your empowerment journey.