How to stop being afraid: tips and actionable methods

In the world of adults, it is customary to hide their fears from others. Just ignoring the problem, it is impossible to solve it. If the fear of something prevents you from carrying out your plans or causes some discomfort, you should think about how to stop being afraid?

When does fear become a problem?

First of all, it is necessary to determine the degree of your fear. After all, worrying about the exam, fearing for the health of relatives or going to the other side of the street at the sight of noisy companies is normal. Any healthy person experiences certain emotions before an important event and cherishes loved ones. Each of us has an instinct for self-preservation.

The problem exists if the fear of something or someone causes:

• trembling hands;
• high blood pressure;
• stuttering or other speech clips;
• stupor;
• slight lethargy;
• cardiopalmus;
• significant discomfort and makes it difficult to take any action or make decisions.

Such a state of affairs is dangerous even if in an extreme situation you cannot defend yourself or defend your opinion in a working dispute. It all depends, of course, on what exactly you are afraid of.

Enemy need to know in person

As there is a definite medicine for every disease, so there is its own weapon against every kind of fear. Determine your main enemy. What are you most afraid of? Is it an object, a living being, a person or a circumstance? Consider the most common fears and methods of dealing with them.

The Hound of the Baskervilles

You turn into an alley and suddenly you hear a barking behind your back. The heart goes to the heels of horror, the brain paints a picture - angry eyes, bloodshot, open mouth in the foam. The monster growls, you hear how it follows on your heels. You remember that in no case you can not run, because you can provoke even more dog aggression, so you stop and expect terrible reprisal in horror ... The monster approaches and it turns out that this is just a lazy yelping shaggy mutt. Familiar?

In case you come across a really dangerous bunch of dogs, of which there are enough of them on the streets of modern cities, your fear can interfere with protecting yourself and provoking a life-threatening situation!

To stop being afraid, try one of these methods:

1. Get a puppy. First, you will see that these animals are still subject to man. Secondly, as an adult and stronger "individual", you will sometimes have to protect your baby from stray dogs for a walk, which will contribute to the manifestation of courage. And, finally, you can buy a puppy of a shepherd, Shar-Pei or pit bull terrier and train it from an instructor. Then you will get not only a friend, but also a defender.
2. Start feeding homeless dogs. This will allow you to feel sympathy and look at your "monsters", on the other hand. Poor, hungry, useless creatures, can one really call them "monsters"? Such charity has additional advantages - animals in your area will recognize their “breadwinner”, feel trust in you and will not attack.
3. Get a stun gun. Do not think that you will have to fight with barking mongrels and defend yourself from them with current discharges. This is unlikely to come! Just when seeing a pack of dogs, press the button on the side of the device. The animals will be frightened by a sharp sound, and they will scatter. And you will feel more comfortable, knowing that you can stand up for yourself in the event of an attack.

Fear of death and disease

A slight runny nose, cold and headache make you frantically search the Internet for signs of terrible diseases. Before you go to the doctor’s office, you have enough time to experience in your imagination the death of cancer, AIDS, meningitis, measles and bubonic plague. Even the established "innocuous" diagnosis does not bring peace of mind, because everyone knows that doctors sometimes make mistakes.

Our tips will help you learn to face your fears:

1. Give yourself the installation: "All my conjectures live only in my head. What has not happened yet does not exist."
2. Watch your health, once a year go through a comprehensive physical examination, eat right, leave in the past bad habits. In this case, you can always be sure that you are healthier at least than 80% of the people around you. And, therefore, the risk of dying from a terrible disease is minimal.
3. Watch motivating documentaries about people who beat cancer or AIDS. Repeat to yourself: "Even if something happens to me, I will definitely get out. After all, others succeeded."

Do not become a hypochondriac and do not let evil thoughts take hold of you. In any situation you should not lose touch with reality. Think of people whose activities are directly related to the risk of “catching up” a dangerous disease. Doctors, orderlies, nurses are ill no more than other people.

Fear of accident and attack

Statistics of emergencies and criminal incidents horrifies. You think that it lurks in danger even in your own home, because attackers can try to get into it, rob and harm you and loved ones. In order to calmly sit behind the wheel of a car or enter a dark alley, and there is nothing to say!

Try to fight this as follows:

1. This kind of fear is most often the result of stress or negative experiences. Learn to relax, get enough sleep, drink vitamins to strengthen the nervous system.
2. Get self-defense and carry it with you. A stun gun or pepper spray can make you feel more confident.
3. Do not watch news and horror movies. Avoid negative content on the Internet, do not read the criminal chronicles and depressing statistics.

If your fears become obsessive, often arise without reason and you are pursued by panic attacks, do not hesitate and consult a doctor. This is a signal that a failure has occurred in your nervous or hormonal system, you should not wait for the situation to worsen. After all, it is easier to immediately eliminate a small problem than to deal with more serious consequences.

Fear that causes self-doubt

Uncertainty in their own abilities often leads to the fact that a person begins to be afraid:

• public speaking;
• to defend their opinion in the team;
• meet the opposite sex;
• get close to other people;
• master a new activity.

To get rid of this, you need to reduce anxiety and increase self-confidence. We recommend reading D. Carnegie’s book “How to stop worrying and start living” and other works by this author on communication skills and oratory.

We also offer you some simple tips to help overcome your fears:

1. If you are afraid to say or do something, then imagine that you need to dive into the water. Take a deep breath, drop all thoughts and act.
2. Focus on the process, not on the result. Your goal now is to overcome your insecurity and begin to act. If you overcame fear and did at least something - this is an excellent result.
3. Allow yourself to be wrong. Perfectionism is good only when it helps to live. If you refuse to do anything just because you are afraid that you will not be able to do everything perfectly - throw the "excellent pupil" away.
4. Develop communication skills. Sign up for a foreign language, acting or any other courses that involve communication with other people.
5. Stop comparing yourself mentally with others. We are all different. If the course of your thoughts does not coincide with the opinion of the majority, it means that you possess an outstanding innovative look. Being a “black sheep” is rather good than bad.

Each case is individual. Someone, to get rid of fears, is enough to take a course of collective training, someone will help thematic articles and books. If you feel that you are not doing it yourself, contact a psychologist, and after a while you will be able to look at the world around us in a new way.

Watch the video: How To Not Give A Fuck (November 2024).