top of page
Writer's pictureTony Sotres

9 Ways To Combat Fear











9 Ways To Combat Fear

Fear gets to the best of us, whether it is fear of failure, fear of 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. So, what exactly is fear? Fear - is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat or to be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or threatening.


Fear can’t hold you back forever, if you don’t let it.


There are several ways to overcome fear, here are my top 9:


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 it is in a situation that triggers you. Learning to identify it will help you learn to combat it. Understanding the feeling or emotion can help us navigate through a situation or challenging event. With understanding of self and other we can combat fear and make more deliberate decisions.


3. KNOW WHERE FEAR LIVES IN YOUR BODY


A lot of times, fear takes over physically. It affects people in different ways. Identify if/how it affects your physical body and do the work to take care of your body. We can then use this energy in motion to identify and relieve the pain from our body by practicing self-care for that area. Ex: if you hold stress in your back, you can learn stretches, foam rolling, etc. to avoid the pain.


4. PRACTICE GRATITUDE


Everyday, 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 overtime, overcomes fear. We can also become happier within three weeks of practicing this exercise of gratitude. It puts conscience gratitude into our lives and we become more aware of those things as opposed to those failures or imperfections.


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. Our words in our minds can become what we focus on and where are focus goes our energy goes. We can get our conversations to ourselves to become what we see in our daily life.


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. take at least five minutes to think things through and then move forward by thinking this too shall pass.


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 think positively and 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. Overtime, 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 yourself. It is best to start your day with this, but feel free to practice all day long.


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.
















4 views0 comments

Comments


bottom of page