What is Fear?

There is a great acronym spelled F.E.A.R. (false evidence appearing real). I love this because what were afraid of is often not real, or made up in our mind. Everyone experiences fear, and courage is not the absence of fear, but it is doing the thing anyway. Our amygdala is the part of the brain that’s responsible for fear, and when were in it, we can not think rationally.

5 Steps to Overcome Fear

1. Presence

Presence is the state of awareness to act on the present moment. When you are present, you are much more able to consciously determine whether the fear is real or not. Also it gives you the strength to act how you choose. We can become more present by paying attention to our breath and paying attention to our senses.

2. Overcome our past trauma

Things that have happened in the past can often cloud our present and our future if we do not heal from it. Trauma is an inescapable part of life; this does not mean it has to be a huge trauma, even something very minor can stay with us. There are many methods to heal our trauma. Somatic therapy, EMDR, and nature therapy are some common ones.

3. Replace limiting beliefs

Limiting beliefs can interfere with our ability to act. We may have false assumptions on who we are and what were really capable of. We can replace our beliefs by first becoming aware of them. Then we can examine whether or not these are really serving us. If they are not, we have the option of replacing them with a more empowering belief.

4. Develop courage, and do it anyway

Courage is a muscle, and can be developed through use. When we are faced with things that are hard, or afraid of doing, we have a choice to do them, or not. Courage can become a habit by always doing the hard thing.

5. Knowledge

We tend to fear what we don’t understand. When we gain more knowledge about a topic, for example our health, it’s much more easy for us to traverse. Knowledge takes away the mystery and unknowns of a situation. The more we know about something, the more we can act with clarity.