Think about a favorite vacation spot, your niece’s cute face, or distract yourself-open a book or strike up a conversation. Actively calm yourself with deep breathing and positive imagery. Recognize what’s happening and assure yourself that everything is and will continue to be all right. If a bad divorce has left you afraid of intimacy, get to know new people as friends, not prospective partners, while doing something you enjoy, such as participating in a book club or taking a class. Take Baby StepsĪpproach your fear slowly and in small doses. This technique is part of systematic desensitization, a highly successful treatment for those with phobias, or fears that seriously impact daily life. Picture yourself, for instance, boarding an airplane with confidence, taking off smoothly, snoozing through the flight, landing with ease, then receiving a warm welcome when you arrive. Imagine yourself successfully overcoming your fear. For example, you may worry about encountering snakes in the park until you learn that one hasn’t been sighted there in years. The more informed you are about a subject, the less scary it may seem, since fear is often about the unknown. Analyzing the situation logically may help you realize that there’s little, if not nothing, to fear. So, the next time fear arises, ask yourself what’s the worst thing that could happen-and what the odds are of that thing actually happening. The emotional part of your brains must listen to the rational part. Try these strategies to begin reversing your fears: Think It Through You don’t have to accept that your fear will forever impact you the way it does today. If you’ve had this experience, you may regret how it kept you from enjoying a moment or putting your best foot forward. It can become problematic, however, when the alarm sounds not only in response to appropriate fears, like being in a dangerous situation, but also to things that aren’t necessarily harmful, like flying in an airplane or speaking in front of a group. Fear is a universal human emotion, programmed into the nervous system to help us identify and protect ourselves from danger. Though it’s hard to believe when you’re in the moment, some level of fear is good for us. And while that’s a powerful quote, making it a reality is far easier said than done.

Face your fear quote