Renew You!

How to Become Fearless 

Fear has an incredible ability to keep people from doing the things they want or need to do. Often, it has the overwhelming ability to send even the most stable person running in the opposite direction. During his inaugural speech, Franklin Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” He explained that fear is “nameless, unreasoning and unjustified,” but with some effort it can be overcome if you have the right tools.

Fear manifests itself in a variety of ways— from an uncomfortable feeling to hyperventilation. As you feel the fear start to build up, take a moment to stop and think about how that fear is physically affecting you. Take in deep breaths through your nose and focus on relaxing everything in your body that may have become tense. Once your body is physically calm, you can work on getting your mind calm. Try to think about what rewards you may acquire by conquering the fears.

Often fear is simply caused by the unknown. This can be easily remedied by knowing what you want and then setting a plan. Take a moment to write down your goal. Below it in one column write down everything you’re afraid will happen on your journey to meeting your goal. In another column write down all the ways you can prepare for or prevent the things that make you afraid. You can also try making a plan detailing each step you need to take towards your goal, including potential roadblocks. Sometimes, just writing things down can calm any irrational panic and help you focus on your goal more logically.

When you’re afraid, it’s easy to feel like you’re all alone. Luckily you’re not. There’s always going to be someone out there who has either experienced the same fears or can at least help you work through them. You don’t even have to explain what’s making you afraid or how it’s making you feel if you don’t want. Sometimes just talking with someone can calm your fears.

Remember, it’s okay to be afraid just as long as you don’t let the fear take over. Ambrose Redmoon once said, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”

What have you been afraid of and how did you overcome that fear?