3 Ways to Overcome the Fear of the Unknown

Conquering the fear of the unknown is a challenging endeavor, but it is possible. If you agonize from a fear of uncertainty, knowing what fear is and how it impacts you can allow you to embark on the road to conquering it.

There are several definitions for fear; however, the most fundamental meaning of fear is an emotional response because we face something unfamiliar or feel impending danger.

When women experience fear, several physiological and psychological responses take place all at the same time.

Psychological events include feeling emotionally overwhelmed, having high levels of anxiety, and even feeling terrified. Physiological responses include a faster heart rate, shallow breathing, and similar effects.

Experiencing fear can significantly impact your view on life, your confidence levels, and even the potential that you have as an individual.

Here is an illustration of a situation where a woman had the crippling fear that everything she did would fail:

Yvonne was very successful in her career or personal life. It seemed people were instantly drawn to her and her ideas. But Yvonne was a mess inside.

Each time she worked on a project, she would throw herself into it. She would eventually succeed, but on the inside, she was always worried that she would fail or that her completed project would not be good enough.

For the most part, she understood the fact that her fear was irrational. However, Yvonne grew up in an abusive home. She was physically battered and always ridiculed by her father. No matter what Yvonne did, it was never enough to meet her father’s expectations.

The outcome was that she grew up to be a workaholic, often under pressure to complete quite a few things at once, leaving very little time for herself.

The root of Yvonne’s fear of failure was grounded in her early years. Her father held unrealistically high expectations and would be mentally and physically abusive towards her when his expectations were not met. Once she realized this about her past, Yvonne could ease her expectations and overcome her fear.

Here are three approaches you can apply to help overcome your fear:

1. Recognize your fears. By realizing that you are fearful, you are more likely to get to the bottom of whatever the fear is.

• You also may be affected by a fear of facing your fears. The best way to overcome this fear is to accept the truth behind what is causing you to experience little happiness in life.

• You might come to understand that you are afraid of failing or taking chances. You may even be fearful because you do not have confidence in yourself.

• Regardless of the issue at hand, you must acknowledge your fear and attempt to define what it is that makes you alarmed by the unknown. The key here is to not dwell on your fear but rather to understand precisely what it is you are worried about.

2. Establish the underlying root of your fears. How do you pinpoint the source of your fears? An insightful look at your life may reveal the answer. By recognizing what causes your fears, you can likely overcome them with great success!

3. Face your fears. Once you have accepted your fear and identified the root cause, you are inclined to conquer it! The best approach to do this is to face it head-on.

• Decide to purposely tackle your fears by indulging in actions that push you outside your comfort zone. For instance, put yourself in a place where you are safe yet uncomfortable or respectfully confront someone from your past. In the end, you will find that you are capable of successfully overcoming your fears, one by one!

Defeating a fear of the unknown is a complex task. Still, if you take the time to engage in these three steps, you will see a new peace and happiness within your heart!

As you go to work unlocking the chains that bind you to your fears, you will enjoy a freedom that you may have never felt before.