Primal Fear.
--
The Sunday Feed!
The human body is the most complex piece of machinery that ever inhabited the planet, and it is going to remain that way.
Well, you can argue that rockets are much more complicated than humans and you might be right in saying so, but you should not forget that humans have something that rockets do not, and it is called emotions.
There are several emotions we encounter daily. The most common ones are anger, fear, anxiety, guilt, disgust, happiness, amusement, boredom and more. While every emotion is worthy of a lengthy discussion, today, we will talk about fear.
As humble creatures, you need to understand that fear is not always bad. It is a mechanism that warns you to prepare yourself. Imagine, if you did not fear heights and kept climbing the tree without proper gears. Because going up the tree is the easy part. Coming down from it is where the problem begins.
A natural tendency is to do things that don’t scare you and avoid the ones that alarm you. Well, this can be fine if you want to secure yourself from all the dangers and be comfortable in your shell. However, for those who want to take a giant leap in their lives or careers need to do many things that will make them shudder.
These moments of anxiety, uneasiness and discomfort should be seen as the tests you will have to perform to overcome all the hurdles that come your way. There are no universal solutions for these moments of trials and tribulations but some techniques when applied with deliberation and determination can definitely ease the pain.
Here are some easy ways to overcome the fears, if not completely then to a certain extent.
1. Learn to laugh at yourself.
What happens when a child who is learning to walk sits on the floor after taking 2 steps. As a parent or a guardian, you pick the child and try to cheer them up by smiling or laughing.
The only problem we have as adults is that when we fall, we will have to play the role of the child and the adult as there will not be anyone to console us. And, we wouldn’t want anyone because we are adults with fully grown egos.
2. Identify your fears.
The reason why so many people in this world dress badly is because either they are not aware, or they don’t care. Let us assume that 50% are not aware. If they were told about this, then there is no doubt that a lot of them would make some efforts to improve.
With fear, we are aware of what makes us feel that way. But what we need to do is convince ourselves that most people are like us and just like they improved with practice, so shall we.
3. Don’t make assumptions.
A lot of times we are under this misconception that we must please everyone who we know or rather who we cross our paths with. There is nothing more erroneous than this paradigm.
Everyone is so focused on their own problems that no one has the time to focus on yours. And if they are trying to criticize you for doing something, more so failing at it, then, you should be happy that you are making progress.
A criticism from others is a signal that they are taking interest in what you are doing and are secretly despising your guts.
4. Look at the bigger picture.
Everything in this world is relative in nature. Someone rich in a small village will be considered to be poor by someone richer in a town. Someone in a city might have more wealth than this rich person in the town. This is a never-ending process.
I can make even Elon Musk feel poor by telling him that he is a mortal human being whose wealth will be of no meaning when his time comes.
The small fears that you have should be seen in the light of bigger ambitions and not blown up to intimidate you. Not magnifying fears is half the battle won. Keep your eyes on the vision that you have.
5. Be grounded.
Fear is a precursor to escape. As soon as you see something that scares you, biologically your feet will become lighter so that you can run fast to avoid the danger.
This can be seen as both physically and metaphorically. However, how often we have seen Davids defeat Goliaths because they stood firm on the ground and did not retreat.
Metaphorically speaking, your fear is Goliath. It will try to intimidate you to move back. If you hold your ground, Goliath will slowly start to disintegrate.
6. Breathe.
Just like the earlier example, this can be seen as both literally and philosophically. You will be surprised if I told you that more than 90% of the people either stop breathing properly or lose their normal breathing patterns when they are afraid.
If we were to take a more metaphorical meaning, then breathing means not letting high targets or pressure unsettle your normal breathing patter.
We need to understand that in the long run, nothing really matters so why panic.
7. Reward yourself.
The only thing that can save you from a King is the King. And the only thing that can increase your confidence is success.
Reward yourself whenever you are successful in overcoming even the smallest of fears. Very soon, you will become so confident that there will be nothing that can ruffle you.
8. Seek Help.
Sometimes, sharing your thoughts and ideas with your true friends can make you look at things in a way you had never imagined.
Your friends can show some hacks that will not just amaze you but also give you that one piece of information you were looking for.
Revealing your fears should not always be done with the intention of getting advice but with the purpose of making things lighter for you.
Unless, you have reached a stage where you need some serious advice or mentoring.
John Khalkho: CEO Dolores Education
