How to Face Your Darkest Fears

“Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.”

– Jim Morrison

We all fear something or the other. For some it is heights, for some it is public speaking, for some it is fear of lizards; fear of darkness for others. But most of these fears are caused by what “might” happen rather than what can actually happen. Those who fear snakes are afraid of getting bitten. But what they don’t understand is unless you actually become a threat to a snake or startle it, it won’t harm you. In fact, it will go its way. More often than not our fears act as obstacles and prevent us from succeeding. Follow these

tips to get over your fears:

Baby Steps

First and foremost, you should try and analyze your fear. If you’re scared of public speaking, think about the worst thing that could happen: people will laugh you; you will forget your lines; what else? Once you identify that nothing too bad can happen to you, you can start taking steps towards getting over your fear. If it’s swimming you fear, start by using a bathtub. Then start with the shallow end of a pool with an inflatable pool tube and take someone you trust. See for yourself how much fun it is. But if you keep standing at the edge of the pool fearing the worst, you will be a scared cat all your life. Don’t panic. Breathe, calm down and face your fear. Stare it down.

Channel your thoughts

Don’t let negativity surround you in anyway. Keep telling yourself that it is going to be okay. That you’re going to do well. Every time you feel like you’re becoming negative, turn it into a positive thought. Keep reinforcing the fact that is not a big deal at all and you got this. You can do this. Visualize yourself doing extremely well.

Focus on the task

When you’re in the middle of it, focus on performing. Focus on the task on hand, not on things that can wrong. If you’re batting, focus on where to hit the ball, not on the ways you can get out. Shift your focus from the fear of failure to the idea of success.

When nervous, think funny

When you feel you’re getting nervous with a racing heat and sweaty palms, think of something that always make you laugh: like the sneezing panda or the ‘pehchan kaun’ joke or a Russell Peter quip. Have a good laugh about it and you will forget all about being nervous. Watch inspirational videos of how people have overcome obstacles and won and read stories that speak of triumph.

Try again and again

If you fail once, don’t give up and go into hiding. Try again. If the first time you bang your scooter into a wall the first time you take it out for a ride, don’t be scared. Get back on the vehicle immediately (given that it isn’t damaged beyond repair) and learn to do it properly. If you give up the first time, you will always remain scared. Don’t let fear win. Like the famous Mountain Dew ad claims: ‘There is victory beyond fear’.

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