The 5 keys to fear management

Tips on how to learn to manage fear, step by step.

Human beings feel a variety of emotions every day, and fear is one of them, an emotion like any other.

But in these times it is more frequent 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 if we let fear dominate us and let it grow, it becomes one of the most incapacitating emotions, blocking our way of thinking and our way of life.blocking our way of thinking and reacting.

In the face of fear, in human and animal nature there are three response options: flight, paralysis, or aggression. All of them are innate reactions, therefore, we do not know how we will react until we are in a state of fear, we don't know how we will react until we are faced with what we fear.. What we do know is that if that fear is very intense, it can result in the loss of absolute control.

It is for this reason that in many societies the inoculation of fear is a weapon of control of the population, because before this emotion the population does not think with clarity and defensive answers are generated and of distrust between the people, producing a social division.

How to manage fear in the best possible way?

There exist personalities more vulnerable to this emotion, which feel fear daily by everything, they fantasize continuously with catastrophic events, generating a high suffering to them They are in a continuous state of hyperarousal and fear that something bad could happen to them.

These people are in a continuous state of hypervigilance, and as a consequence, suffering a very high stress, affecting their mood, sleep and life in general.

These types of personalities usually end up in psychotherapy, and often this feeling of insecurity originates in childhood as a consequence of the experiences lived by each one in their families of origin and in their early life experiences.

What to do? The way to handle fear is based on the following key ideas and guidelines to follow.

1. Facing it by summoning courage

Unfortunately fear cannot be avoided or stopped, it has to be faced. There are no magic formulas and you have to have the courage to face these 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 in most cases, our fears are much higher and farther from reality than we think.. To do so, consider these options:

• Write down your worst fears and see what you could do to deal with them; we always tend to have creative solutions for this.
• Observe how much of your fears are real and how likely it is that what you fear will happen, you'd be surprised how unrealistic they usually are.
• Question how much your fears limit your life and to what extent they play a role in your life. Sometimes behind a fear there is a desire that we are afraid of fulfilling.
• Regarding externally unfounded fears, keep an objective and critical view.

3. Train daily diaphragmatic breathing.

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 in control of yourself.

It is advisable to find someone to teach you how to breathe properly. Breathing is essential to sleep and rest, to avoid anxiety crises, as well as to maintain mental and emotional balance. If you focus on breathing you will be able to mitigate these fears.

4. Set yourself a list of fears to face

Make it gradual, from less to more intensity.. Go facing them one by one following the order of the list and try not to have too much time between each sequence, an average of two to three in a week. In this way you will gain self-confidence, you will see your goal closer and your fear will be reduced.

For example, if you are afraid of crowded places, start with places like a bakery, a pharmacy, a terrace, then a supermarket, and so on, focusing on your breathing. It is advisable to ask for professional help if you feel very limited.

5. Reinforce yourself positively

Every accomplishment, no matter how small, is progress.Be compassionate with yourself. Be aware of the changes you are achieving, they often happen little by little.