How To Stop Fear From Controlling You

Photo of Woman Writing on Tablet Computer While Using Laptop
Photo by Anthony Shkraba

Tell yourself, “I can do this.” That is how you control fear. You control it by taking action to change things in your life. Fear does not respect talk. Fear respects action. Fear and action cannot coexist. When you take action, fear disappears. According to Alvah Bessie, “Fear is real and there is nothing you can do about it except to keep functioning, keep your hands and legs and body moving, your mind focused on the task at hand.” To get things done, don’t focus on fear. It is there, but do not let it put you in your comfort zone. Do not accept it. Because you are better than your comfort zone. You are here to move, to work, to live, not to get stuck in a rut. Baruch Spinoza said, “Fear cannot be without hope nor hope without fear.” Be hopeful that things will get better. Yes, no one can predict the future. But if you work really hard right now, if you concentrate on the task at hand, you can create your own future. You can do it. Don’t make things hard for yourself. Simplify your life. Make things easy, not difficult. Do what you haven’t done before. Try different things. Do not worry about failure, worry about not doing anything to change your situation. Take on new projects. Meet new people. Stretch your brain. Create thinking time for yourself. Hang out with people who are fearless. When you are always with confident people, your level of confidence will increase. Be around people who are smarter than you are. Above all, “always do what you are afraid to do.”

How To Use Fear As The Friend It Is

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Photo by Marcelo Moreira

Fear is your friend. If you want to learn from fear, make fear your friend. Do not make fear your enemy. Because we don’t like our enemies. We hate them. We don’t want to associate ourselves with them. But if you really want to walk past your fears, you must embrace them.

Why is that? Because the road to your dreams is wide open. But you can close it yourself if you don’t have the courage to face your fears. Remember, my friend, to conquer something, you must face it. To eliminate something, you must take action. You cannot conquer your fears by running from them. Because the more you run from them, the more they conquer you. Instead of running from your fears, make them as the friend they are. According to Peter McWilliams, To use fear as the friend it is, we must retrain and reprogram ourselves... we must persistently and convincingly tell ourselves that the fear is here- with its gift of energy and heightened awareness- so we can do our best and learn the most in the new situation.”

Fear is not new. So why worry yourself about it? Don’t worry yourself about it. Live your life. Don’t let fear stop you from living your life. Don’t let fear stop you from chasing your dreams. Whether small or big, chase it. Only fear can stop you from chasing your dreams. Don’t let it happen. Instead, let fear spring you to your next level, to your next opportunity. It takes courage to do that. You have it. You can do it. Do not look back. Always look forward. Do not let past failures stop you from trying new things. Fear is there, but don’t give in to it. If you do, you will fail. But if you don’t, you will pass.