Human beings feel a variety of emotions every day, and fear is one of them, an emotion like any other.
But these days it is more common to feel it. We have all felt fear at some point, and it is even necessary to feel it for our survival. However, If we let fear dominate us and let it grow, it becomes one of the most disabling emotions blocking our way of thinking and reacting.
When faced with fear, in human and animal nature there are three response options: flight, paralysis, or aggression. They are all innate reactions, therefore, We do not know how we will react until we are faced with what we fear What we do know is that if this fear is very intense, it can result in the loss of absolute control.
This is why in many societies inoculating fear is a weapon of population control, because in the face of this emotion the population does not think clearly and defensive responses and distrust are generated among people, producing a social division.
There are personalities more vulnerable to this emotion, who feel afraid of everything every day, They continually fantasize about catastrophic events, generating great suffering for not being able to enjoy life, since they fear that something bad may happen to them.
These people are in a continuous state of hypervigilance, and as a consequence, suffering from extremely high stress, affecting their mood, sleep and life in general.
It is common for these types of personalities to end up going to psychotherapy, and often this feeling of insecurity originates in childhood as a consequence of the experiences each person has had in their families of origin and in their early life experiences.
To do? The way to manage fear is based on the following key ideas and guidelines to follow.
1. Facing it by gathering courage
Unfortunately, fear cannot be avoided or stopped feeling, it must be faced. There are no magic formulas and you have to have the courage to face those experiences. That is why If your fear generates too many limitations in your life, it is advisable to ask for professional help
2. Rationalize what you fear
Don’t let your fear grow in your mind, because On most occasions, our fears are much higher and further from reality than we believe To do this, keep these options in mind:
3. Train diaphragmatic breathing daily
To the extent that you know how to control your breathing, you will be able to calm your fear and control your body and your head ; You will feel like you have control over yourself.
It is advisable that you find someone who can teach you how to breathe properly. Breathing is essential to sleep and rest, avoid anxiety attacks, as well as to maintain mental and emotional balance. If you focus on breathing you will be able to mitigate these fears.
Let it be gradual, from less to more intensity Take them one by one following the order on the list and try not to have much time between sequences, an average of two to three a week. In this way you will gain confidence in yourself, you will see your goal closer and your fear will reduce.
For example, if you are afraid of places with a lot of crowds of people in closed places, start with places like going to a bakery, a pharmacy, a terrace, later a supermarket, and so on, focusing on your breathing. It is advisable that you ask for professional help if you feel very limited.
5. Reinforce yourself positively
Every achievement, no matter how small, is progress ; be compassionate with yourself. Realize the changes you are making, these often happen little by little.
