Fear Can Stop Us in Our Tracks
Fear Can Hold Us Back From Sucess
9 ways to combat fear. Fear gets the best of us and can stop us in our tracks, whether it is fear of failure, success, or even fear of fear. All of us have experienced fear at some point in our lives and it can be a real stumbling block that holds us back from being truly successful.
Fear can’t hold you back forever unless you let it. There are several ways to overcome fear, here are my top 9 ways to combat fear:
9 Ways to Combat Fear
- Separate reality from perception
- Identify the trigger
- Know where fear lives in your body
- Practice gratitude
- Listen to your inner voice
- Create a new association
- Look at the glass half full
- Practice breathing exercises
- Create a safe space
1. SEPARATE REALITY FROM PERCEPTION
Ask yourself what is really going on, locate the facts and place them over your feelings.
2. IDENTIFY THE TRIGGER
Figure out what may be triggering your fear responses in any given situation. Learning to identify your triggers will help you learn to combat them.
3. KNOW WHERE FEAR LIVES IN YOUR BODY
A lot of times, fear takes over physically. It affects different people in different ways. Identify if/how it affects your physical body and do the work to take care of your body. Ex: if you hold stress in your back, you can learn stretches, foam rolling, etc. to avoid the pain. You can even explore the world of mindfulness and meditation; this is a great way to learn and become more mindful of your body’s responses to fear.
4. PRACTICE GRATITUDE
Every day, list out 1-3 things you are thankful for. It doesn’t matter how big or small it is, gratitude helps shift the mind into a positive light, which over time, aids in overcoming fear. I keep a gratitude journal and write down three things that I am grateful for every morning. This is a great way to start your day off in a positive manner.
5. LISTEN TO YOUR INNER VOICE
Monitor your inner conversations. If you wouldn’t say it to a friend, don’t say it to yourself. Speak positively to yourself and remind yourself of your strengths. In fact, I have given my negative inner voice a name (I named her “Karen”…truly no offense to the “Karens” of the world). I gave this negative voice a name to help me to become more aware of my negative voice and to help separate it from my positive voice. I do frequently tell “Karen” to shut the F*@& up!
6. CREATE A NEW ASSOCIATION
Remind yourself that the feeling and the moment will pass. Focus on the positive outcome of the situation, rather than the scary in-between moment. You can always find something positive in any situation if you look hard enough.
7. LOOK AT THE GLASS HALF FULL
Perception is a very powerful thing, and how you feel about your situation dictates how you respond. So, if you think positive thoughts you’ll give yourself a much better chance of success. This won’t happen overnight; practice with just one thought. What is one recurring negative/fearful thought you have? Work on reversing this one thought. Over time, this will become a habit.
8. PRACTICE BREATHING EXERCISES
Breathing helps center your body; when you stop breathing, your heart stops beating. You can do a grounding exercise, or even just take 5 deep, long breaths at any point to calm and center you
9. CREATE A SAFE SPACE
When you feel safe and secure, there is no room for fear. Find somewhere safe you can retreat to when ill feelings begin, whether this is a real place such as your bedroom, or a place in your mind such as the beach. This sense of comfort will soothe you and allow you to face your fear.
Conclusion
Please keep in mind, these are just 9 strategies and that there are many more, not everything works for everyone, so you will have to do a bit of exploring and digging to find out what works for you. But this is a place to start. Start implementing these techniques into your life and don’t let fear hold you back from reaching your goals and your highest potential!
