Fear: Getting Over It

Guest post courtesy of Roopa

Every human being has fears: fear of the unknown, fear of the dark, fear of public speaking, fear of embarrassment. It’s okay to have some fears (we are only human, after all), but it’s time to identify those certain fears that are preventing us from being our confident and proactive selves.

Here is an interesting fact that changed my life: all human beings are only born with two innate fears: the fear of falling, and the fear of loud noises. Think about that. The fact that we have just two fears when we are born asserts that all fears beyond those two that we know and have today, are learned. Self-created.

It’s amazing to think about the potency of our environments, surroundings, and peers on our mental , physical, and emotional health. As the protectors and guiders of our own bodies and minds, it is our duty to govern what we are surrounded by and how we are affected by certain environmental stimuli.

Following these three steps will help you focus your energy into one: identifying your fears and two: working to reassemble these fears into

1) Create a “fear” journal or list | You can make this digitized, or keep a tangible, hard copy. But whatever the medium, keep a list of what you find yourself afraid of. If you had a presentation in Literature class yesterday and you couldn’t feel your legs and your heart was racing at 1 million beats per second, write down “fear of public speaking.” If you are walking back to your room and the entire house is pitch-dark and you find yourself walking slowly and having paranoid thoughts, mark “fear of the dark.” This step will force you to become cognizant of what terrifies you.

2) “Adjective” each fear | Next to each fear, mark an adjective that you embody that will help you overcome this fear. For example, next to “fear of public speaking” you could write “confident” or “charismatic.” Thinking of qualities that you embody (even though these qualities might be eclipsed by fears), or qualities you hope to have, will refresh your mind as to the person you were without those fears. The human power of progression to happiness AND regression to those 2 innate fears is beautiful!

3) Remind yourself | The key to being fearless and living life boldly, courageously, and spontaneously is to constantly remind yourself that you really have nothing to be afraid of.

Now it’s your turn to erase those fears. Respond to this post by filling in the blank to this statement: “I used to be afraid of ____________________, but I won’t be anymore because I created this fear!”