Combat Fear

Fear is a raw emotion that all of us experience from the early stages of our life; a baby fears darkness, fears strange people, Later on, we fear not meeting expectations of family and friends, fear of not able to perform at work, even things as basic as medical treatment and driving after meeting with an accident.

I was just reading ‘Paths of glory’ the other day, there arises an instance, where the mountaineer suffers a bad fall and his guide suspects that he might not want to go back to climbing ever again. A bad experience and the feeling that we may fail is enough to create a mind-block for the rest of our lives! The trick comes in accepting things, and once we accept, the strength will come from within.

1. Face fear, do not postpone things. If you have to do it and there’s no escape, you might as well do it. At least you will be free from it, awareness of fear is half the battle won!


2. Think long-term. Once the treatment is done, how are you going to feel! Once you are able to accomplish what you have set up yourself for, how you are going to feel.


3. Talk about your fear, to someone who you think will understand. It also helps to talk to a complete stranger at times. Talking helps to see some of the things about the issue that we do not understand when our thoughts are confined to ourselves!


4. If you think that things are screwed up, start all over. “Failure is the pillar to success”, clichéd but true!


5. Pray/Meditate. Faith enhances inner strength; it helps the mind to concentrate on something else other than the object of fear and ultimately heals.