How to Conquer Your Fears—Part 1

We all face countless fears. In our professional lives, financial failure, conflict, errors, and many other negative events can cause the emotions and feelings of fear. They can dominate our personal lives too—fears of personal loss, humiliation, illness, and death.

Some fears seem irrational to us, but disable others—spiders, flying, driving, and so on.

What does fear feel like to you? Is it tightening of the throat, or rapid, shallow breathing, or your heart pounding in your chest? Nausea rising from the pit of your stomach, blanching of your skin, and muscle tension are all common symptoms.

3 Facts About Fears

First, as much as we dislike them, fears are an essential part of our survival. Without them, we would miss the threats and dangers to our lives. Hitting the brakes before an impending road accident, considering two alternative paths of action, or responding to an illness are all examples of fears that can save our life.

Second, the feelings and emotions we associate with fears prepare us for battle! The rapid breathing and heart rate, and blood flowing away from our skin and gut, and into our muscles prepare us for flight or fight.

Last, the chronic effects of enduring fears—those that visit us in the middle of the night, or block us from our normal daily activities, or interfere with our relationships, well-being or health are bad for us!

The pressures of modern society often only make our fears worse. The expectations to belong, to succeed, to be strong or beautiful can dominate or even threaten our lives.

Living with enduring fear is bad for us

Although it is adrenalin that causes the rush of fear in flight or fight situations, it is the persistent levels of the stress hormone cortisol that cause the adverse side-effects of living with chronic fear.

There are many negative effects, including decreased attention, a greater inflammatory response, health damaging behaviours (think smoking, alcohol, poor diet, and inactivity), reduced powers of healing, coronary artery disease, diabetes, depression, an increased risk of death, and to make matters even worse, a greater response to fears. Yes, it is a vicious circle!

There are many beneficial activities and behaviors to limit or eliminate the effects of chronic stress and fears. Having a healthy, well-balanced diet, regular exercise, social activities, deep breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, and fostering supportive relationships will all help.

BUT life is stressful! We have so many and varied roles to play within it—loving husband or wife, father or mother, son or daughter, relative, friend, confidant, businessperson, leader, financial wizard, entrepreneur, coach, sports person, and so on!

One word to rule all fears!

Fears can creep into your mind at 2am, or betray your voice before that big presentation, or clutch at your heart before that heart-to-heart confrontation you have been dreading.

What can you do?

To paraphrase J R Tolkien, there is one word to rule them all. It is the flip side of fear, the opposite, the countermeasure: COURAGE!

How do we summon courage at 2am, or just prior to that presentation or confrontation, or at any time our fears come to haunt us? Easier said than done!

Many of our fears are hard-wired too, learned responses, emotions, and thought patterns laid down in our brain through experiences during childhood or adolescence!

How do we hardwire courage?

That is the topic for my next blog!

If you want to wire your brain for business life of your dreams—easily, inexpensively and in less than five weeks guaranteed—check out my FREE On-Demand Webinar "5 Keys to Wire Your Brain for Awesome Business Success!"

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