"I'm terrified of the unknown. What do I do?"
"I'm so scared of what I don't know."
"How do I get past my overwhelming fear of the unknown?"
"Nothing I have tried to calm myself down has worked. I don't know what to do."
Overcoming the fear of the unknown is a challenging endeavor, but it can be done.
If you suffer from a fear of uncertainty, understanding what fear is, and how it affects you, can start you on the road to conquering it.
When we experience fear, several psychological and physiological responses take place all at the same time.
Psychological events include feeling emotionally overwhelmed, having high levels of anxiety, and even feeling terrified. Physiological responses include a faster heart rate, shallow breathing, and similar effects.
Experiencing fear can greatly impact your view on life, your confidence levels, and even the potential that you have as an individual.
An Example
Here's an example of a situation where a woman had the crippling fear that everything she did would result in failure:
Rachael was very successful in her career and personal life. It seemed that people were instantly drawn to her and her ideas, but on the inside, Rachael was a mess.
Every time she worked on a project, she would throw herself into it. In the end, she would ultimately succeed, but on the inside, she was always worried that she would fail or that her completed project wouldn't be good enough.
For the most part, she recognized the fact that her fear was irrational. However, Rachael grew up in an abusive home. She was physically beaten and consistently ridiculed by her father. Regardless of what she did, it was never enough to meet his expectations.
The result was that she grew up to become a workaholic, often struggling to finish several things at once, and leaving very little time for herself.
The root of her fear of failure was grounded in her childhood. Her father harbored unrealistically high expectations and would be mentally and physically abusive towards her when his expectations weren't met. Once she realized this about her past, Rachael was able to ease her personal expectations and overcome her fear.
Here are three super strategies you can use to help overcome your fear today.
Recognize your fears.
By realizing that you're fearful, you're more likely to get to the bottom of what the fear is.
- You may also have a fear of facing your fears. The best way to conquer this fear is to accept the truth behind what's causing you to experience limited happiness in life.
- You might come to understand that you're afraid of failing or taking chances. You may even be fearful because you simply don't have confidence in yourself.
- Regardless of the issue at hand, it's important that you recognize your fear and attempt to define what it is that makes you terrified of the unknown. The key here is not to dwell on your fear, but rather to understand precisely what it is you're worried about.
What are you afraid of?
Determine the underlying root of your fears.
How can you identify the cause of your fears? An insightful look at your life might reveal the answer. By recognizing what causes your fears, it's likely you can overcome them with great success!
When, where and how did your fear begin?
Face fear head on.
Once you've accepted your fear and identified the root cause, you're ready to conquer it! The best method to do this is to face it head on.
- Make a decision to purposely tackle your fears by indulging yourself in activities that push you outside of your comfort zone. For example, put yourself in a place where you're safe, yet uncomfortable, or respectfully confront someone from your past. In the end, you'll find that you can successfully overcome your fears, one by one!
How are you going to overcome your fears?
Overcoming your fear of the unknown can be very difficult.
However, if you take the time to follow these three steps, you'll discover a renewed peace and happiness within you.
As you work to unlock the chains that bind you to your fears, you'll start to enjoy a freedom that you've not felt in a long time, if at all!
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