5 Powerful Ways to Stop Fear

Are you allowing fear to block you from a happy life? If so, you aren’t alone. Every day it prevents millions of people from doing things that would improve their lives. Thus, you must crush this horrendous emotion.

Fear is the voice that whispers, “You can’t do that. You’re not good enough. Forget about it and move on.” But don’t listen to it.

Taking calculated risks is how you make massive progress. Whereas not taking action breeds more dreadful thoughts.

Remember the things you used to be afraid of but aren’t anymore? That’s proof that you can overcome this roadblock! You’ve done it before, and you can do it again.

What’s something you could do that would make a colossal impact on your life or business? What’s holding you back from taking action?

Here’s how to conquer your fear so nothing can hold you back from what you want!

1. Get to know your fear

First, you need to acknowledge that your fear exists. If you don’t stare it in the face, it’ll grow till it’s almost too massive to handle.

Write it down and then answer the following questions:

• What have you always wanted to do?
• Think of the ideal version of yourself. What do you need to overcome to become that person?

You don’t need to be afraid of situations that haven’t happened. Even if they do occur, they’re usually not as bad as we thought they’d be.

2. Imagine your worst fear happening

“The remarkable thing is that as soon as you stop resisting the worst possible outcome, you’ll relax, your mind will clear, and your ability to deal with the situation will improve dramatically.”

— Brian Tracy

Now, let’s do something really scary and imagine the worst-case scenario. This is to show you that you could handle it if it happened. True, it wouldn’t be the greatest time ever, but over time, things would return to normal, and you’d be okay. Chances are, it wouldn’t be as horrendous as you imagined.

For example, if you wanted to get a raise, the worst thing that could happen is that they say no. The scariest part would be your thoughts in response to rejection. They can be torture! Luckily, that’s in your control. If you think, “That’s okay, they might be having budget issues. Maybe this is a sign that I should apply for a better job elsewhere? I’m ready for the abundance I deserve!”

So, if your biggest fear happens, accept it and think optimistic thoughts about how you’d handle it.

3. Make a plan to face your fear

“Do the thing we fear, and death of fear is certain.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Next, plan to take steps toward doing what you fear. You don’t have to cannonball right into the thick of it; you can take baby steps if that gets the ball rolling. It’s imperative that you face your anxiety because the more you ignore it, the more it intensifies. When you confront it, it shrinks.

Ask yourself:

• What am I worried about when I imagine doing this daunting task?
• What can I do to lessen my anxiety?
• If I fine-tuned my skills, would I feel more confident?

Write down your solutions and schedule when you’ll do them.

If you want to learn something new, take online classes, watch videos, and read about it. But, don’t get stuck in an endless learning cycle; you’ll need to practice too.

The more competent you are, the more courageous you become.

4. Visualize yourself being fearless and succeeding

“One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.”

— Henry Ford

Your perspective about your fears is powerful. Self-fulfilling prophecies are real, so your mindset can cause you to fail. Thus, solidifying your dread.

In other words, if you think negative thoughts about it, the more you’ll terrify yourself.

Imagine yourself far into the future when you’re old and looking back on your life. What would you think about the situation you’re avoiding?

You don’t want to regret not taking the chance to improve your life. Luckily, you can trick your subconscious into not feeling frightened by these things. It understands imagery and emotions, and it believes what you imagine or feel is real. Also, it’s easy to fool with repetition. In fact, it’ll believe almost anything if it’s repeated enough.

So, if you’re nervous about doing a speech, imagine yourself feeling amazing and speaking with total confidence. You could even get a standing ovation! If you envision this repeatedly, your subconscious will believe it actually happened!

Always picture yourself accomplishing your dreams with no trepidation. Focus on how great you feel and how easy it is for you to succeed. Do this every night before going to sleep and your subconscious will make it happen.

5. Do what you fear repeatedly

“Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it… that is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear.”

— Dale Carnegie

Finally, you will need to do what you fear. Don’t back out now; this step is what will free you! It doesn’t make sense to hold on to it like it’ll protect you because it’s robbing you of a happier life.

Suppose you’re in a burning building, but you’re petrified to run through the flames to safety. The only way to break free from certain death is to stop worrying and go for it. You’d have to force yourself to feel the fear but take action despite it. Do what scares you enough times, and it won’t phase you anymore.

In reality, your “comfort zone” should be what terrifies you because that’s where all dreams go to die. There you flip channels and scroll your existence away, never accomplishing anything.

Furthermore, your fears can trap you there for a lifetime. Nothing is worth wasting your precious life!

In the end, have the determination to face your fear so you can free yourself from it. It’ll be uncomfortable, but it’s necessary. When you’re old, you don’t want to regret having a half-lived life because of it.

So, challenge yourself to do scary things (within reason) until it has no control over you. After each milestone, you’ll gain confidence in yourself and your abilities. Then after you do what you’ve been avoiding, it won’t seem like such a big deal. In fact, you’ll be kicking yourself for not defeating it sooner!

Why would you sacrifice the success you deserve for an imagined problem?

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