How to overcome from fear

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Overcoming Fear
Fear is an intense and an unpleasant emotion stimulated by an imminent danger, harm, or pain. Fear can be real or imagined. It is a natural feeling that assists people to identify and react to dangerous circumstances and threats. However, a healthy fear can develop into a pathological or unhealthy fear, which can result in a violent or exaggerated behavior. People experience different types of fears. For example, fear of not being able to achieve set goal (success). Some people fear death, strangers, new places, unknown objects, pain, darkness, shadows, losing a loved one or a job. Other people fear failure, rejection, uncertainty, being judged by others, being hurt by others, accidents or afraid of disappointing others. Also, people fear being humiliated, growing old, being alone, speaking in public, or those in authority. Most of the time individuals tend to avoid things or situations they fear. Unfortunately, this is not a healthy way of dealing with the fear. It would be appropriate for the person to face the fear and find ways to overcome it. The focus of writing this paper is to discuss the different causes, effects, and methods of overcoming fear.
The different fears people suffer from are always learned. Individuals learn how to fear something through experience or watching others. For example, among children, some of the causes of fear are developed as a result of a conditioning process, such as a child may come to fear thunder and lightning, since both of them occur following each other.

Another cause of fear is acquired after a child is exposed to objects that are punitive. For example, an electric shock as the boy tries to explore an open switchboard. Also, a child can learn through imitating their parents, siblings, and friends, therefore, if their parents fear something the child starts being afraid of the same thing. In families, some causes of fear would include physical punishment from parents, forced toilet teaching, verbal reprimand, or a doctor holding an injection syringe. Among adults loss of security because the person is not employed, retired, the death of a loved one, old age, natural calamities can cause the individual to fear (Schmidt and Schulkin 70). Adults also fear because of a childhood experience they encountered. For example, the person might have fallen in a well hence the individual may end up developing a fear of swimming, heights or even planes. Mistrust among people they love, work or live with can cause a person to be afraid. A person’s personality can cause them to fear. Other causes of fears are because of a stressful experience or situation in their adult life.
Some of the physical effects of fear are that the person may have difficulties breathing, pounding or racing heart, the throat becomes dry, disturbances of the stomach, frequent urination, chest tightness or pain, shaking or trembling, cold or hot flashes, and sweating. Also, the individual may have problems concentrating, soil or wet their clothes, crying aloud, or feels confused. Some of the emotional effects of fear include the person may become anxious or panic, feels an intense desire to run away, or change. He may feel unreal or disconnected from himself or herself. Also, the person feels like he might go crazy, lose control, die, or pass out. The person might overreact over an issue he or she faces while other people might feel very miserable (Watt and Stewart.89).
Various disadvantages of fear can cause a person never to try anything new. It can lead the victim to fear the unknown leading the person to lose opportunities for advancement. For example, it can cause a person to miss a job, fail to form new friends or avoid any new experience. The person may not defend himself or herself when bullied or attacked by others. It can even cause the person to be afraid of expressing their opinion since they are scared of being judged by others or developing conflicts. Fear may cause the person not to receive the support he desires to move forward. It makes the person not able to face and deal with his or her fears. It causes the person to be lonely since he does not want people to realize they have hidden something. Another disadvantage is that other people might use what a person’s fears against them (Stearns 119).
The best way a person can overcome fear is to realize, accept, and face it. When a person avoids the fear, they will not be able to move forward. The person should then be able to recognize the various ways he expresses the fears. He should then identify the causes of the fear. Finally, with some assistance from a therapist or a friend, the person can face and reduce his fears (Jantz and McMurray 124). Some of the strategies an individual may use to avoid being afraid are that he could involve himself with things or events that he is good at instead of things, which are beyond his control. Practice techniques that help reduce stress such as aerobics or mindfulness meditation. A person can promote positivity by forcing himself or herself to notice positive things around them instead of past negative events. The person can run or go for walks in the park. The person can request for support from family, friends, or a specialist. The person should find the purpose of their life and set goals to fulfill them. He or she should keep on affirming himself positively. The individual should have a gratitude list such as being thankful for friends, family members, job, or even the clean air, which he can keep on saying aloud until he feels, relax.
Having fears of something is human. It is not a weakness. However, the person should not allow the fear to become unhealthy. However, if the individual realizes he has developed some unhealthy fear, he should face the fear by finding out what causes it, and the effects it has on him. Also, the disadvantages it is bringing in his life and personality. Then with the assistance of a friend or a specialist find a way to overcome it. Finally, he should learn new strategies that would help him not to encounter the fear again.
Work cited
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Jantz, Gregory L, and Ann McMurray. Overcoming Anxiety, Worry, and Fear: Practical Ways to Find Peace. Grand Rapids, Mich: Revell, 2011. Internet resource.Schmidt, Louis A, and Jay Schulkin. Extreme Fear, Shyness, and Social Phobia: Origins, Biological Mechanisms, and Clinical Outcomes. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Internet resource.
Stearns, Peter N. American fear: The causes and consequences of high anxiety. Routledge, 2012.Watt, Margo C, and Sherry H. Stewart. Overcoming the Fear of Fear: How to Reduce Anxiety Sensitivity. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, 2008. Print.
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