If you constantly experience fear, you want to learn how to stop fear from holding you back. Everyone has been afraid at some point. If we’re in touch with our inner selves, we know immediately when that negative emotion clutches our hearts. It’s a feeling of coldness that sneaks up and grabs hold.
“Fear is a sneaky thief, stealing away precious moments of your life.” – Elizabeth Lesser
You can try to shrug it off, but that’s not always easy, and it rarely works. You can tell yourself this too shall pass, yet not believe it. The truth about fear, however, is that it can be overcome.
Practical Ways to Stop Fear
How do you stop fear? Here are some practical ways to do just that.
Acknowledge that the emotion you feel is fear.
The first step when you want to stop fear is to acknowledge the emotion you feel. Recognize fear for what it is so that it cannot claim power over you, shutting down your ability to live a normal, happy, and productive life.
Fear is different from sadness, anger, or disappointment. Called the fight-or-flight response, fear prepares the body to cope with danger.
Fear produces distinct physiological symptoms, including:
- Increased breathing
- Rapid heart rate
- Muscle tension
- Sweating
- Dry mouth
- Trembling and shaking
- Butterflies in the stomach
Keep a list of effective coping strategies handy to stop fear.
To do something to combat fear, it’s helpful to have a list of strategies and techniques that have worked well for you in the past in overcoming this destructive emotion.
The time to figure out what to do isn’t when you’re in fear. That’s when you’re least likely to reason, and your decisions may not be the best. It’s also best to keep your coping strategies and techniques on a written list so that they’re always available.
Remember that fear only controls you if you allow it.
Keeping this in mind might be challenging, but you are in control. You make the decisions.
Decide now that fear has no place in your power structure. Only you have the power. It’s up to you to exercise it.
Constantly revise your list of goals.
When you have activities that you look forward to and have a plan for how to get started, you’re much less likely to succumb to fear. It is, however, normal to be a little apprehensive when starting something new.
Referring to your list of goals is an excellent way to reinforce your commitment to them. The goal list helps motivate you to overcome all hurdles you may encounter, including fear.
To stop fear: Seek support from your network.
You’re not the only person who’s ever experienced the kind of paralysis and indecision that fear can produce. Talk with those you know and trust in your network to see how they handle fear.
Their support and encouragement can go a long way toward overcoming fear and keeping it from stealing your life.
Acknowledge that you’re not perfect.
Perfectionism can get in the way of pursuing goals. Feeling like you’re falling short and not seeing how to make it perfect can prompt feelings of fear.
Acknowledging that you’re imperfect, you take the wind out of fear’s sails. This gives you the breathing room to continue without letting fear control you or reduce your dreams and goals to dust.
Have faith to get through today.
Most of what causes fear doesn’t last indefinitely. Things generally look different 24 hours later. When you rely on your faith and believe in your ability to make it through today, you do more than buy time.
Your subconscious mind is working on ways to overcome the fear, find a solution or workaround, and remind you that you have hidden strengths to draw on.
When Help May Be Necessary
If the fear continues unabated, however, it might be time to seek professional help from a psychiatrist or psychologist, a social worker, or other mental health professional.
There is no reason for you to go on suffering the harmful and life-stealing effects of fear or anxiety when psychotherapy can help you overcome this profoundly debilitating emotion.
