How does fear work? Scientist tell us that there is a small organ in the brain that alerts the whole body’s fear response system whenever there is a fear trigger. This organ Is called the amygdala. Once the signal for fear is released, chemical messengers in the body called hormones are released too. The physical evidence of these released hormones are quicker heartbeats, faster breathing, skin reddening amongst many others.
Fear which is also known as phobia starts with a stimulus and ends with a fight and flight response.
Every now and again, we will all meet our fears since fear is a natural response against perceived threats.
The good news is that there is a way to be nerveless and unafraid in every situation regardless of how simple or chronic the phobia appears to be. This way is hidden in the common parlance ‘fight or flight’.
Based on multiple scientific evidences, I believe it is correct to suggest that conquering fear requires that we fight them intentionally with the right approaches:
Knowing your fear:
Most fears have names,and even the uncommon phobias like the fear of chocolates have names! Being armed with an indepth knowledge of a fear helps identify the fear triggers, other surrounding effects.
Connect with a fear fighter
A fear fighter is a forte we trust enough to share and help us with our fears. They have the capacity to be guides, coaches, emotional support etc. They set us up with enough courage to deal with whatever fear assails us. This could be a believe in God, visiting a therapist, a lover’s support, parents, books, spiritual teachers etc.
Prepare for it
One practical way to deal with fear is role playing situations or set ups that connect with our fears. This helps to keep the mind ready to deal with such fears when they show up in real time. For example, someone with a fear of getting personal with people could intentionally find a friend in a lover and deliberately share a few personal things. As time goes on the effect of the fear will wane.
Finally, it is important to say that conquering fear is key for anyone who is at all interested in self development and capacity building. Fear is a kind of mental paralysis. The subject of fear Itself is extensive and it affects everyone because it shows up one way or another in our lives. Nevertheless, who conquer their fears naturally become a better version of themselves.
