How to Stop Being Afraid
Consider whether you might need professional help., Learn some relaxation techniques., Think about what you are afraid of., Rank your fear level., Start facing your fears.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Consider whether you might need professional help.
Fear can vary in intensity.
You might be mildly afraid of something, or you might be so afraid of something that you won’t leave your house.
Before you try to face your fear on your own, it is a good idea to consider the degree of your fear.
For example, if you just have a mild fear of public speaking and you get a little nervous before you have to speak in front of a group, then you may be able to overcome this fear by using some relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation.
However, if you are so afraid of public speaking that you are skipping classes or making excuses to get out of having to give a presentation, then this is a severe fear and you may need to seek the help of a mental health professional to get over your fear. -
Step 2: Learn some relaxation techniques.
Before you face your fears, it is helpful to learn some relaxation techniques to calm yourself down when you are feeling overwhelmed by fear.
These techniques can help you to control unpleasant feelings related to your fear, such as anxiety.
Some good relaxation techniques to learn include:
Deep breathing.
Progressive muscle relaxation.
Meditate , Take some time to consider what you are afraid of.
You may even want to create a list of everything you are afraid of so that you can work on becoming less fearful of these things.Include everything that you are afraid of on this list and try to be as specific as possible.
For example, instead of saying you are afraid of people, try to identify what types of people make you feel afraid.
Men? Women? Older people? People who look different from you? Be as specific as possible about the people you fear. , It is important to work through your fear starting with the least scary thing or situation and moving up your list as you get comfortable with these low ranking items.
After you have written down all of your fears, you can narrow down what you want to work on first by selecting one fear category and then try ranking these fears on a scale of 1 (least scary) to 10 (scariest).For example, if you are afraid of dogs, then the least scary situation (1) might be looking at a picture of a dog, and the scariest situation (10) might be petting a large dog.
Make a ranked list for each fear that you want to work on. , When you have finished your ranked lists, you can begin to face the items on your lists moving from the least scary to the scariest item on your lists.Work through the items at a pace that is comfortable for you.
For example, you might want to try facing one item per day, or you might find that you need to face the same item on your list multiple times to conquer the fear.
Make sure that you are keeping yourself safe as you do this.
For example, don’t do something that could actually endanger your life, such as going near a wild or venomous animal.
Use a relaxation technique to soothe feelings of anxiety.
When you face the fear, you are likely to experience some feelings of discomfort and anxiety.
This is normal.
To soothe these feelings, use your chosen relaxation technique to help soothe yourself. -
Step 3: Think about what you are afraid of.
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Step 4: Rank your fear level.
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Step 5: Start facing your fears.
Detailed Guide
Fear can vary in intensity.
You might be mildly afraid of something, or you might be so afraid of something that you won’t leave your house.
Before you try to face your fear on your own, it is a good idea to consider the degree of your fear.
For example, if you just have a mild fear of public speaking and you get a little nervous before you have to speak in front of a group, then you may be able to overcome this fear by using some relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation.
However, if you are so afraid of public speaking that you are skipping classes or making excuses to get out of having to give a presentation, then this is a severe fear and you may need to seek the help of a mental health professional to get over your fear.
Before you face your fears, it is helpful to learn some relaxation techniques to calm yourself down when you are feeling overwhelmed by fear.
These techniques can help you to control unpleasant feelings related to your fear, such as anxiety.
Some good relaxation techniques to learn include:
Deep breathing.
Progressive muscle relaxation.
Meditate , Take some time to consider what you are afraid of.
You may even want to create a list of everything you are afraid of so that you can work on becoming less fearful of these things.Include everything that you are afraid of on this list and try to be as specific as possible.
For example, instead of saying you are afraid of people, try to identify what types of people make you feel afraid.
Men? Women? Older people? People who look different from you? Be as specific as possible about the people you fear. , It is important to work through your fear starting with the least scary thing or situation and moving up your list as you get comfortable with these low ranking items.
After you have written down all of your fears, you can narrow down what you want to work on first by selecting one fear category and then try ranking these fears on a scale of 1 (least scary) to 10 (scariest).For example, if you are afraid of dogs, then the least scary situation (1) might be looking at a picture of a dog, and the scariest situation (10) might be petting a large dog.
Make a ranked list for each fear that you want to work on. , When you have finished your ranked lists, you can begin to face the items on your lists moving from the least scary to the scariest item on your lists.Work through the items at a pace that is comfortable for you.
For example, you might want to try facing one item per day, or you might find that you need to face the same item on your list multiple times to conquer the fear.
Make sure that you are keeping yourself safe as you do this.
For example, don’t do something that could actually endanger your life, such as going near a wild or venomous animal.
Use a relaxation technique to soothe feelings of anxiety.
When you face the fear, you are likely to experience some feelings of discomfort and anxiety.
This is normal.
To soothe these feelings, use your chosen relaxation technique to help soothe yourself.
About the Author
Amber Rivera
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow DIY projects tutorials.
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