Life can be scary — really scary sometimes. And those fears can be paralyzing.
Fear is an emotion that stops many of us from achieving our dreams and living the life we want to live. It can be a positive force in our lives when it helps us to avoid danger, but too often fear keeps us from doing things we want to do or reaching our potential.
If you’re reading this, chances are that you’re afraid of something – whether that’s speaking in public, making new friends, travelling alone, trying something new, or even something as simple as spiders. Fear is universal, which means that everyone experiences it at some point in our lives. Luckily, we can learn how to let go of fear and use it to our advantage.
Identify Your Fears And What Their Hurting
If you want to get over your fears, the first step is to identify what you’re actually afraid of. While you may have many different fears, you might notice that there are certain themes. For example, you might be afraid of being judged or afraid of failure. Or you might be afraid of rejection, being unprepared, or making a fool of yourself.
Write down as many fears that come to mind, even if they seem silly or irrational. Then read through your list and ask yourself why are you afraid of such things.
You also need to identify what these fears are hurting. Are you afraid of making new friends because you’re worried you’re weird and people won’t like you?
Perhaps you’re afraid of speaking in public because you’re worried you’ll get laughed at or judged. Does fear of spiders keep you from enjoying nature? Being able to identify the why behind your fears is important because it helps you figure out how to overcome them.
Practice breathing exercises
When we’re scared, our bodies produce adrenaline, which makes our hearts race, our muscles tense up and our senses become heightened so we can react quickly in an emergency situation.
Fear also triggers a flight or fight response in our brains, which tells us to either run away from the threat or fight it physically.
Studies show that the way you breathe can affect how you feel about your fears. When you breathe quickly and shallowly, it can make you feel stressed, anxious, and afraid.
When you breathe slowly and deeply, you can counteract these feelings and even relax your body. If you’re struggling with fear, try to practise deep breathing a few times a day and notice how it affects how you feel. Deep breathing is often recommended as part of an anxiety reduction program called cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
How to Practice Self-Breathing
- Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed for a few minutes (e.g., sitting in a park or walking outside)
- Breathe in through your nose into your belly so that it expands fully (but not so much that it feels uncomfortable). Then hold this breath for three seconds before exhaling through pursed lips very slowly (the lips should be closed as if whistling). Repeat this cycle five times and then take a break for one minute before starting again from step 2. Keep breathing in this way until you feel relaxed and calm inside yourself.
Focus On What You Can Control
While it’s important to acknowledge and work through your fears, it’s also important to focus on what you can control.
For example, let’s say you’re afraid of being rejected. You can’t control whether or not people will like you, but you can control how you act and react when someone does reject you.
Letting go of your fears and focusing on what you can control can help you reduce stress and feel more confident in your abilities. If you’re struggling with fear, ask yourself what you can control about that situation and try to focus on that. Letting go of your fears doesn’t mean pretending they don’t exist. Instead, it means accepting that you can’t control everything and using your energy wisely.
Do Exposure Therapy
The best way to get over your fears is to face them head-on. This might sound scary, but it actually works.
Exposure therapy is when you purposely put yourself in a situation you’re afraid of to reduce your fear. For example, if you’re afraid of spiders but you want to conquer that fear, you might go to a zoo and spend time near the spider exhibit.
Alternatively, you could find pictures of spiders online and look at them while imagining they were right in front of you. While this might feel silly and silly at first, studies show that it’s an effective way to overcome your fears and make them less powerful. You can also try other exposure therapy techniques such as keeping a journal about your fears or writing a letter to your fears.
Be Grateful For The Lessons Fear Teaches You
Fear can be a positive force in our lives, but too often it keeps us from doing things we want to do or reaching our potential.
When we’re young, we learn that the best way to avoid danger is to be afraid. We’re taught to avoid walking on the road because there might be cars, playing in the dark because there might be scary people, or touching a hot stove because it might burn us.
As we get older, we learn to be afraid of other things, such as speaking in public, making new friends, or trying out new things. While these fears might seem silly to someone else, they’re real to you. Even though they’re often irrational, they’re still very real. You don’t need to completely let go of your fears, but you can try to be grateful for the lessons they teach you.
Celebrate Your Achievements
Finally, one of the best ways to let go of your fears is to celebrate your achievements. When you push yourself to overcome your fears and do something difficult, it can be easy to focus on what you failed at or what you’re still struggling with.
However, it’s important to acknowledge the things you’re doing well. If you’re struggling with fear, try to celebrate your small achievements along the way, such as picking the easy first step towards overcoming your fear, or even just having the courage to try. You can also celebrate your achievements with friends and family, or even by sharing your story with others.
Letting go of fear doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s worth the journey.
If you’re struggling with fears and anxieties, know that you’re not alone. Everyone experiences fear, and it’s completely normal. The trick is to not let fear control you. When you’re faced with a fear, remember to breathe, focus on what you can control, and keep reminding yourself of your achievements. Most importantly, remember that fear can be overcome.
Are you ready to let go of fear and make changes to your life? Our Sisterhood Circle gives you a proven roadmap that helps create that consistency and confidence while helping you sculpt a lean, strong body.
