All of us are afraid of something in life, starting a new job, getting into a relationship, thunderstorms, or even a trip to the dentist, being afraid is totally okay but we must learn to overcome it. Let me be very honest with you, there are many scary things out there, and we should know how to overcome our fears and anxiety, life demands it. When we are able to manage our anxiety and fears and see the difference between these two, we will end up being happy, our careers will flourish and we will become the best versions of ourselves.
What Are Fear and Anxiety?
Let’s go back thousands of years back when we used to live in caves and hunt for survival, we knew that we were never safe. There was always that looming threat, the threat of other humans and even dinosaurs, we always used to have our guard up. Yes, we don’t experience that kind of stress now but our reaction to threats is still the same.
Fear is the emotion we experience when we see a threat to our physical or emotional well-being.
You may have noticed this but our bodies and brains react to both of these threats in the same way, this is because they can hurt us in the same way. In simpler words, it doesn’t matter if the threat is physical, emotional, or even a social one, our response will be the same. The autonomous nervous system is both a clever and creepy thing, it can’t differentiate between socializing at a party or getting swallowed by a shark, although many of us would actually prefer it to be the latter.
Yes, fear is a very unpleasant thing but you have to know that it is a healthy response, it means that your survival instincts are working as they should be. Our fight or flight response is what makes keeps us alive and sane in the most troubling times. With that being said, when we are living in constant fear, and are unable to live life to the fullest, it becomes anxiety and that is very harmful.
Fear and anxiety are rooted in the same emotion, you can even say that they are the same in some way. Although you have to know that when fear becomes maladaptive, it turns into anxiety and that is what we must be careful about.
Anxiety is when the fear response becomes haywire. When this happens, you will be afraid all the time and even respond, overreact to triggers that don’t actually pose a threat.
You could experience fear regularly but normally anxiety shouldn’t be a part of your daily life. You have to know that fear is an emotion and anxiety is a mental health disorder, you have to be very careful.
What’s The Difference Between Fear and Anxiety?
Let’s break down the main differences between fear and anxiety, although their symptoms overlap in many ways, the reasons behind them are different. Apart from this, fear and anxiety trigger epinephrine and cortisol (The body’s stress hormone). Fear usually occurs when there is a real danger and anxiety kicks in over the “Imaginary” danger.
Fear is a short-lived reaction (generally), but anxiety can be present with you always, both of them are stressful enough. Fear and anxiety both share physical sensations, you may feel a racing heart, tensed muscles, tingles, cold chills, and even an accelerated breath rate.
You feel these sensations because of the body’s fight-or-flight response. These sensations also prepare you to take quick and immediate action by diverting your resources for necessary functions, this is when you feel a lot of adrenaline.
Some Common Symptoms Of Fear:
- Increased Heart Rate: Fear can cause your heart to beat faster and harder than usual.
- Sweating: Sweating is a very common response to fear, this happens when the body attempts to regulate its temperature.
- Rapid Breathing: Fear can also cause shallow or rapid breathing, chances are that this could also lead to hyperventilation.
- Muscle Tension: You can also experience tensed muscles when fear kicks in. You might also feel pain around the neck area, back, and shoulders.
- Shaking or Trembling: Fear can cause your body to shake or tremble, most commonly your hands or legs.
- Nausea: Fear can also cause nausea, in some cases, this could lead to diarrhea or vomiting.
- Enhanced Alertness: Fear can cause extra alertness, in this type of situation, you react very quickly to potential threats.
- Dizziness: Fear can also cause dizziness and or lightheadedness, once this happens, you will find it difficult to maintain balance.
Some Common Symptoms Of Anxiety:
- Excessive Worry or Fear: Anxiety often involves persistent and excessive worry about your everyday situation and events. You could face anxiety when it is time to go to the office or engage in some other activity.
- Restlessness or Irritability: Anxiety can also cause you to be irritated and restless. When this happens, you will find it very difficult to relax.
- Fatigue: Anxiety can cause you to have fatigue, you may feel like you have no energy even when you haven’t engaged in any physical activity.
- Difficulty Concentrating: When anxiety kicks in, you may find it difficult to focus on daily tasks.
- Avoidance: Anxiety will also cause you to avoid situations or objects that trigger your anxiety. This could be meeting with people or going to an event.
Strategies To Overcome Your Fear and Anxiety
You have to know that managing your worst fear and anxiety isn’t easy but that’s okay, we are here to help you out. You can build skills that will allow you to manage your emotional response when anxiety and fear kick in. If you develop self-awareness then that is even better, it is the first step to overcoming your fears and anxiety.
Here are the necessary steps to follow which will help you overcome your fear and anxiety.
You Need To Notice How You Feel
You need to be able to talk about your emotions, no matter how hard it is. This is the first step that you can take to overcome your fears and anxiety. You need to be able to identify the sensations that clue you into your emotional state. Do you experience trouble breathing, a sweaty body, or even a stomachache? You need to practice reading these physical cues, don’t let them carry you away!
Own Your Fears
Have you ever cried so much that it became very difficult to stop the tears, we can totally understand that. When the fearful thoughts kick in, it becomes so hard to ignore them. When this happens, you need to stop using your emotional energy in trying to be okay, sometimes you need to own your fears. Trust me, this energy would be better used in reaching out for help.
Breathe Properly
When your fear and anxiety kick in, we often hear people say, “Take A Deep Breath”, although you may not want to hear it, this strategy actually works. Whenever we engage in deep and mindful breathing it activates our parasympathetic nervous system which helps us relax. Mindfulness meditation, breathing, and any other relaxation techniques deactivate the body’s stress responses and help us calm down.
Keep Checking In With Yourself
Are you feeling better now? What’s the next step that you need to take? Do you want to exercise? Do you feel like reaching out to someone for help? You need to keep on checking with yourself and go with the response that best suits you and your current situation.
Take Care Of Your Basic Biological Needs
Your body is going to feel a lot of physiological sensations, and it is also easy to be confused by them. Sometimes your brain might interpret a fuzzy feeling in the stomach, now this could be love or stage fright, or maybe both. Chances are that you could only be experiencing hunger, so do take care of that. Drink juice, and eat something good! Do you still feel anxious afterward? Hopefully, you will be feeling a whole lot better now!
Challenge Your Negative Thoughts
You need to be able to take your negative thoughts to trial, ask yourself this: “What Am I Afraid Of Really?”
Make time to talk about your negative thoughts and write about what happened. After all this, you need to conjure a response that will make you feel better.
Create Goals That Are Necessary
Most of the time, the process of overcoming your fears and anxiety is hindered by elusive goals that we set for ourselves. You need to be able to ask yourself the difficult questions. Ask yourself this: What does the life I deserve look like? How can I achieve that lifestyle?
Do I have to actively work for it? Or Is it a Someday or Maybe type of Plan? Once you do this, you will know whether you are creating a compelling goal for yourself or not. When you accomplish this, you will feel fulfilled, everything will fall back in place. You need to be able to dig deeper into your goals and see what makes you tick. What do you want your ideal outcome to be? Do you want more money in your bank or is the financial freedom to go anywhere at any time? Once you know that your goals are essential, the fear of not making an effort will overcome the fear of failure which will motivate you, this is when you will be inspired to act.
Find Valuable Insight In Pain
Pain is the most effective teacher that you will come across. No one likes pain, in fact, many people go to astonishing lengths to avoid pain but pain is necessary. If you accept that your life and the efforts you make toward your goals will be painful and unbearable at times, then these painful experiences will allow you to grow to exponential heights. When we let go of pain as a threat to our survival, it loses its destructive power and becomes another helpful tool for us.
Everyone experiences hardship in life, this much is certain. It really doesn’t matter if your setbacks are personal or professional, what matters is how you deal with these setbacks. Learn from the painful moments and take control of your life.
Find Acceptance In Failure
When you set your goals, what is the biggest fear that you will face? The fear of failure! It is very destructive so you have to be careful about it.
What you have to know is that failure is just like pain and we should only learn and grow from it. You might disagree with me but failure is actually a bigger motivator than success because it allows you to be better the next time around. Failure will always provide a valuable learning experience that will positively impact your future.
Powerful Quotes Which Will Help You Overcome Your Fears and Anxiety
There is power in words, the kind of power which can help you conquer your darkest fears. Borrow these impressive quotes and sayings from influential people which will lead you to success and glory.
Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.
Oprah Winfrey
The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but on significance — and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.
Oprah Winfrey
This life is mine alone. So I have stopped asking people for directions to places they’ve never been.
Glennon Doyle
Creating something is what helped me from just spinning apart like an unweighted flywheel. And I haven’t stopped since.
Stephen Colbert
You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.
Maya Angelou
The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
Nelson Mandela
I think the more people vocalize what they’re going through — their experience or just simply educating themselves so that they can learn more about what they’re talking about — that’s going to be the key to creating a conversation about mental illness and making it more understood.
Demi Lovato
The tough times, the days when you’re just a ball on the floor — they’ll pass. You’re playing the long game, and life is totally worth it.
Sarah Silverman
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.
Steve Jobs
You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you.
Dan Millman
Whatever you do, never run back to what broke you.
Frank Ocean
Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.
Swedish Proverb
It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.
Aristotle
When you make a mistake, respond to yourself in a loving way rather than a self-shaming way.
Ellie Holcomb
Breathe darling. This is just a chapter. It’s not your whole story.
S.C. Lourie
You can’t just take Tylenol to deal with anxiety. Being able to be level with people, being honest about your problem – that is a huge help.
Royce White
We just need to be kinder to ourselves. If we treated ourselves the way we treated our best friend, can you imagine how much better off we would be?
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex
We all have mental health in the same way that we all have physical health. It’s okay to have depression, it’s okay to have anxiety, it’s okay to have an adjustment disorder.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
Be healthy and take care of yourself, but be happy with the beautiful things that make you, you.
Beyoncé
The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won’t. It’s whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.
President Barack Obama
As I started opening up and talking about my issues, I felt strength, not vulnerability.
Michael Phelps
You don’t see [mental illness]: It’s not a mass; it’s not a cyst. But it’s there. Why do you need to prove it? If you can treat it, you treat it.
Amanda Seyfried
The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but on significance — and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.
Oprah Winfrey
Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.
Deepak Chopra
Anxiety is something that is part of me but it’s not who I am.
Emma Stone
I would tell my younger self that there’s no shame in asking a teacher for help, telling a friend that you’re uncomfortable, and that [anxiety issues] is just the same as falling down and scraping your knee.
Lena Dunham
It’s crazy how your mind will become this database to make you worry about things that are so arbitrary. I have a well-organized life, and I’ve put a lot of thought into the things that I do, and then, you know, my stomach will be… I’ll just be sitting there, totally anxious about something ridiculous. You have to stop yourself during the day and say, ‘It’s just not worth it.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Watch: 11 Ways You Can Overcome Fear and Anxiety
Jay Shetty is one of the most charming motivational speakers of our generation. Here out his tips and tricks to combat fear and anxiety, be sure to leave a like!
Recap
Fear is a healthy response to threatening situations although we must never let this response control our life, it leads to anxiety and can destroy our very foundation. We must learn to overcome fear and anxiety in every part of life, only then will we be able to become the best versions of ourselves. May it be pain or failure, we can take important lessons from both of them and we should!
Anxiety can be a formidable obstacle to achieving our goals, but with the right strategies, we can rise above our fears and achieve success. By understanding anxiety, shifting our mindset, taking practical steps, and seeking support, we can conquer our anxiety and unlock our full potential. Remember, it’s never too late to start taking action toward your goals, and with persistence and determination, you can overcome your anxiety and achieve your dreams. So take the first step today, and start your journey towards a more fulfilling and anxiety-free life!
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