How to overcome fears and anxiety? Councils of psychologists. How to overcome fear

The future is unknown, and the unknown is usually scary. So is it worth peering into this muddy distance? Wouldn't it be better to focus your energies on the present? Live only today, and leave the problems of the future in the future. To do this, constantly ask yourself: “What can I do to solve the problem today?”

2. Use the Big Number Technique to Eliminate Irrational Fears

Most human fears are irrational in nature. As soon as there is an explosion in the subway, people have a phobia to use this transport. Undoubtedly, every tragedy is terrible, but it does not change the degree of safety of underground transport. On the contrary, after a disaster, specialists try to make sure that this does not happen again. Try to come to terms with such consequences. Before you get excited about something, ask yourself: What is the statistical probability that this event will happen?

3. Accept the result

Bad things happen and will happen, unfortunately. Let's say you're afraid of being expelled from university. Just sit quietly at the table and write what will happen if this happens. You will be left without a diploma, lost years of study, money spent on education, etc. Now imagine that this happened. But after all, you received certain knowledge during your studies, perhaps you worked part-time somewhere. Try to get a job, and after a while, resume your studies at the correspondence department. You will already be working, so after graduating from the university you will not need to deal with employment.

Bad things happen and no one is immune from it. Therefore, learn to put up with the worst outcome of your problem, and then calmly look for a solution to the problem.

4. Will it matter in 5-10 years?

Try to ask yourself this as often as possible. Yes, today this problem seems huge, but imagine how you look at it from the future. Most likely, it will become much smaller. Many problems lose their significance over time, so learn to weed out small problems in order to solve truly important problems.

5. Analyze your experiences

Many of them will not pass the test even with one of the above methods. Fear can ruin your life, so it deserves to be dealt with. And when you defeat him, you will be surprised how beautiful life is!

Fear is a natural reaction of the human body. The struggle with it begins only at the moment when the nature of the manifestation of such a state begins to be colored by obsession and brings changes to everyday life.

The general definition of fear in psychology comes from the emotional realm and describes a negatively colored state. There are several approaches that describe how to overcome fear. The choice depends on the individual characteristics of the person.

Practice #1. The collapse of negative emotions

The cause of all fears is one and lies in the difference in the potentials of psychoenergetics.

There are two main types of fear: fixed and abstract. The remaining tens and hundreds are just varieties.

Based on the above provisions, the fight against fear requires the construction of a special map. A personal fear map allows you to determine the territory of the enemy and designate techniques for expelling him.

This technique is similar to building a family tree, but instead of relatives, the chronology of the development of fear is indicated. The root of the tree is the cause of fear. The branches of the tree are the development of fear associated with experiences associated with the object of fear.

Once the fear schema is more or less clear, it's time to practice. The existing algorithm must be performed consistently and strictly following the instructions, otherwise the technique will not work.

It is important to fulfill a number of conditions:

the proposed set of exercises is performed for 2 weeks (at least);
all steps are performed in full and at the same time;
class starts half an hour after eating;
immediately before the start of classes, you must drink 1 glass of plain water;
palms should be warm, dry;
you can not cross your legs;
The effectiveness of exercise increases if the muscles are in a state of fatigue.

Basic steps:

take a comfortable position - stand up or sit down, and relax;
think about something pleasant, positive;
to smile;
breathing should be slow, calm, deep;
take 12 slow breaths and exhalations;
concentration on the palms;
feeling of warmth and heaviness of the palms, their mental representation;
pronunciation of the phrase: “I feel good and calm”;
understanding of what is inherent in the phrase;
smile while speaking;
pronunciation can last for several minutes, but the time is not specifically recorded;
say mentally, but with feeling: “So be it!” and clap your hands loudly.

After the above exercise has been established for 14 days, a simple technique can be used.

So, at the moment when an anxious sensation begins to rise, it is necessary to imagine it in the form of a soap bubble. The image is mentally fixed at chest level, approximately 1 meter from the body, and they say: “All this is nonsense! Everything is great! Eh!" and clap their hands, breaking a soap bubble.

Practice number 2. Breath of courage

Breathing exercises are effective in dealing with fears. Their use is especially successful for fear of heights and darkness.

A simple technique called "Inhale Courage and Exhale Fear":

starting position - sitting on a chair or on the floor, as it is more convenient;
the back is straightened;
breathing free;
each breath is an inhalation of courage, fearlessness, and an exhalation is a liberation from fear;
exercise time is not limited.

Any breathing exercises are performed in a calm environment, preferably in the morning.

Practice number 3. Unsightly image

This practice is based on the work of the imagination. It is enough to imagine your fear in the form of an object or image that does not exist in reality. In this case, the imagination should not be limited, but the use of all kinds of colors and some sarcasm will only benefit.

This technique works great with the fear of death, when her image is eccentric and ridiculous. Giving a new unusual image to your fear will already soften the perception, make it less frightening.

Practice number 4. Face to face

Facing fear face to face is a powerful technique. Avoiding the object of your phobia only aggravates the situation, and the obsessive state only becomes stronger.

This technique is especially effective when it comes to fear that causes self-doubt. Not everyone can use decisiveness and arm themselves with the energy of oneself, but in this way one can easily cope with a negative phenomenon.

"Go to fear - and he will retreat!". To overcome fear means to overcome yourself!

Practice number 5. What's in a name

There are cases when people managed to overcome their fears by changing their first or last name. By changing them, people changed their outlook on life, set new goals and forgot about old problems.

Moreover, it is not necessary to perform all the manipulations to replace documents. You can do much easier and come up with a new name exclusively "for personal use", something like a pseudonym, and start living from scratch.

You need to fall in love with this name and use it at the subconscious level in different life situations.

Practice number 6. Physical education attack

Physical activity and physical activity work wonders. By burning excess adrenaline, they reduce feelings of anxiety and eliminate fears.

Whenever possible, it is necessary to move, and not refer to laziness and fatigue. It's not just about grueling hours of training in the gym. Walking, jogging, morning exercises or highlighting a certain set of exercises is enough.

Practice number 7. We accept and release

In some cases, you can overcome your fear by accepting it. As soon as a person realizes his fear and admits that he is really afraid of something, then the problem disappears on its own.

Darov's technique

In V. Darov's approach, fear is viewed as a certain system generated by the human mind.

As a result of such reasoning, V. Darov came to the conclusion that the only sure way to get rid of fears is to suppress them. To drown out fear means to enter the territory familiar to oneself.

You can learn to overcome fear if you own two factors - knowledge and action. These positions combine the sensual and physical components of a person.

Those who are able to determine the characteristics of temperament and isolate the anchors of their fear can easily cope with their fears.

The ability to control fear directly depends on the properties of the human nervous system. Anchors of fear are those points in the human body, due to which a direct and feedback connection is formed in a state of phobia.

So, victory over fear is a path consisting of 6 steps:

Take the test and find out the position: auditory, visual or kinesthetic.
Determine the type of temperament: sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic or melancholic.
Recall and write down your childhood fears.
Make a list of your adult fears.
Record the sensations experienced during fear and attribute them to a specific area: abdomen, chest or throat.
Analyze the degree of tightness.

Clamped areas form entire zones, which subsequently disrupt metabolic processes in organs and systems. Thus, unconquered fear leads to the development of diseases, psychosomatic disorders occur.

to recognize fear means to take the first step towards victory over it;
arm yourself with as much information as possible about the object of fear;
realize that fear is a natural reaction of the body, which has a number of positive functions;
transform each negative manifestation associated with fear into a positive direction;
to expand the range of their interests, especially in the field of physical activity.

Every person experiences fears of one kind or another throughout their lives. They can be a natural reaction, or they can take pathological forms. In any case, knowledge of how to overcome fears and depression on your own is necessary.

Eliminating fear is not an easy topic. It is important not to overdo it here, otherwise the effect may be reversed, and a small problem may take the pathological form of obsession, phobia.

Video: The expert speaks

Children are not the only ones prone to anxiety. According to statistics, more than 20% of the world's population experience various restrictions in their lives due to fear. The emergence of this phenomenon is associated with an ancient biological response, and people began to ask the question of how to overcome fear in ancient times.

Experts say that the active inclusion of the head consciousness can resist it. But first things first.

Parable of Fear

One person wandered the world. On the way he met the plague. The man asked her where she was going. To which the plague replied that it was going to the neighboring village to destroy a thousand lives. They broke up, and a month later they met again. A man with pretensions told the plague that it had deceived him and taken five thousand human lives. The plague replied that she did not lie, but really carried away a thousand, all other people died without her participation, just from fear.

People are afraid of heights, darkness, nightmares, loneliness, driving a car, flying, and many other things that you might not be afraid of. Why? What happens to a person? What is fear? Are there ways to overcome fear?

Fear - what is it?

Fear is an internal state caused by imminent real or perceived disaster. From the point of view of psychology, it is considered a negatively colored emotion.

In life, he meets daily. We go to work, do household chores, visit shops and theaters, where something can happen that can scare us, so how to deal with fear and is it necessary?

We are born, we begin to breathe, scream and be afraid at the same time. This phenomenon haunts us throughout our lives. And for many people it restricts freedom, poisons their lives, destroys both body and soul. And no one likes to experience this feeling. And it's impossible not to experience it.

There are unique people in the world who know neither fear nor horror. But this is a rare disease, due to which the amygdala of the brain, which is responsible for this feeling, stops working for unknown reasons. Man is not afraid of anything, not even death. It is impossible to say whether this is a gift or a disadvantage, but a person has fearlessness.

If you think about it, fearlessness is not so good, since a person is exposed to serious dangers that he does not even suspect about, he does not know what to be afraid of, and, therefore, does not think about how to deal with fears.

This state destroys us, but at the same time it also plays a positive role, both in the life of an individual and in the whole society. Fear warns a person about danger, teaches what to avoid, that is, warns. But if a person is covered by a wave, then a person can succumb to panic.

Techniques for dealing with fear

Many psychologists argue that the question of how to deal with fears can be dealt with in one simple way - this is to stop even thinking about how to overcome fear, that is, stop escaping from it. While we think about what we are afraid of, we, losing our energy, only think about it.

For example, a common fear, especially among women, is the fear of driving. Before they start taking the exam, they are already thinking about how to overcome the fear of driving. Thus, they program themselves for this fear.

How to overcome fear? It's pretty simple. help everything. No desire to wait for hours on public transport, and then also push it, while constantly being late for meetings or work? So you need to make your life easier and learn to drive a car. This is the only thing to think about. Thoughts are occupied with motivation, there is no place for the question of how to overcome fear, motivation does not leave. The technique works flawlessly.

Tune in for the best

90% of people who suffer from fears set themselves up for them. For example, many people are afraid of flying. They do not yet know what to be afraid of, but they are already afraid.

How to overcome this type of fear? You need to build a flight plan inside yourself, that is, what you can do interestingly during the flight. Read books, get enough sleep, in the end, for these activities, you will not notice how you find yourself in the right place. This will be a painless and effective overcoming of fear.

You can imagine inside yourself a small, frightened child who definitely needs to be calmed down. Positive emotions and memories, visions of a good fairy that calms the inner child and shows beautiful pictures - all this occupies the brain and helps to overcome fear.

Breathing exercises

You need to admit to yourself that you are really afraid that everything is shrinking inside, creating discomfort. How to overcome fear and get rid of discomfort? In order to relax yourself, you can focus your attention on breathing, restore it.

Then try to do the actions from the body to the mind. Intentionally turn your shoulders, start massaging any points, it is not necessary to know the massage technique, just massage, while focusing on the sensations in the body.

Getting rid of the internal dialogue

Most often, we are afraid of the inner voice. How to overcome the fear that appears from the internal dialogue? This voice is ours, and we must exercise our power over it. He can be changed intonation or made to speak in a whisper or too fast, you can even make him speak from his little toe. It is impossible to take such a voice seriously and it will become easy and even fun to overcome fear.

Our imagination draws us against the background of circumstances as very small, so we cannot always understand how to deal with such a big fear, it is much larger than us. One must mentally place dangerous circumstances in an absurd situation.

For example, make the situation small, place it in a saucepan and cover with a lid. This will be an interesting solution to the question of how to overcome fear. It is important to believe that we know how to overcome fear, no matter how we do it.

Technique "remembered case"

It depends on what types of fear a person experiences, in what ways to deal with fears. If someone offended you, you were frightened of the dog, they performed an unpleasant action with you, as a result, a lump of fear remained inside you, information about which you are well aware of, that is, you know very well about the source of fear, which means that the subconscious mind wrote down in some block memory of this case.

Naturally, a similar situation will always scare you. How to deal with such fears? You just need to imagine yourself in a cinema, on the screen of which there is a film about the circumstance that happened to you. You need to mentally turn the upper left corner of the screen into a tube, after which a new screen will appear, where almost the same actions take place, but with a favorable outcome. By changing bad actions to positive or even humorous ones in the subconscious three times, you can erase unpleasant events from your memory.

When a person laughs at something, there can be no fear, it arises only in an acute and serious situation. Over time, you will be able to notice that a funny story has been registered in the subconscious instead of a scary situation, and in reality, such a situation will no longer scare you.

A quick way out of a depressing state

There are many ways to deal with fear. They can be suppressed, burned, recoded, you can work with beliefs. There is one trick that can get out of a state of momentary horror. You just need to remember what it is. This is a small energy tangle, which arose, perhaps even from nowhere. The purpose of this lump is one - to make sure that this state does not happen again.

For example, you saw an accident, and now you are afraid to get into the same situation, or you are afraid of being left without food, because you once experienced hunger (this applies to the older generation who experienced hunger), you can be afraid of the future, old age or death. These concerns are not always justified. Our subconscious does not distinguish between real events and what we can imagine.

We must convince ourselves that fear is not harmful, but useful, it activates our psyche, mobilizes us to protect ourselves from danger. And if he is so good, then you need to thank him for his good functions.

As soon as the horror takes possession of you, you must understand where in the body it is located. You need to try to localize this place and imagine its image. Even if it looks like a dirty gray lump. You need to direct your good energy to this lump with all the words of gratitude for his care. Fear, flooded with warm energy, transforms into its opposite. There will be peace and self-confidence within you.

Hormones of fear

The symptoms of anxiety and fear are the same for everyone. But we all behave differently in critical situations. Some know how to control themselves, others have a frightened look, and still others are close to panic.

Scientific studies have shown that danger leads to the release of two stress hormones, such as:

Adrenaline (rabbit hormone), which is produced in cowardly animals.

It dilates the vessels of the brain, but constricts the vessels of the skin. We are used to hearing that the face turns gray with fear. From its ejection, the pulse quickens, breathing accelerates. People get lost with the predominant “rabbit” hormone, horror leads them to a stupor. People do not overcome fear, but give themselves into the hands of fate, and often their fate ends in tears.

Norepinephrine (a lion hormone) is predominantly produced by predators and absent from their prey.

This hormone has completely different symptoms. The blood vessels dilate, the face turns red. The presence of this hormone characterizes the stability of the nervous system to stress, determines the physical and mental stability of the body. The noradrenaline type of people automatically arrange a fight with fear, they can instantly mobilize in dangerous situations, easily overcoming them. At the same time, they can perform such actions that do not always fit into the scope of possibilities.

Fear is good in that it forces us to look for unknown resources within us. So he recalls that it is impossible to become the master of the situation today with the set of opportunities that we have.

Therefore, experts argue about the dangers and benefits of this phenomenon, about its destructive or constructive influence. They argue about how to deal with fear and whether it is worth it. No one can give a definite answer to these questions. And most importantly - no one has solved the riddle of how this phenomenon arises when it settles in our bodies, whether this feeling is innate or acquired.

The researchers conducted an experiment during which they found that children up to a year old are not afraid of terrible pictures, and already in two-year-old children, scary images caused anxiety. It turns out that fear comes to us with the negative experience that we receive from the world around us.

Some of the common human fears may be from childhood experience, and the other part is rewritten programs of parental experience, called scripts, when hidden programs are inherited.

Why we are afraid: the meaning of fears

Psychologists say that fear is a phenomenon of an acute emotional reaction caused by events that have taken place or circumstances in the outside world.

Moreover, the circumstances could be both real and unreal, hence the ways of dealing with fear are found out. As a result, the basis is the threat to the existence of a person, both biological and social state.

Psychologists distinguish several aspects of fear: fears, fears, frights and horrors. But they are all divided into external factors and internal states, that is, they can be objective or subjective.

Before figuring out how to overcome fear, it is necessary to understand that fear is a constant defensive reaction of the human body, it is a warning of the human consciousness regarding a threatening situation.

And it will be much easier to overcome fear if we accept it as a defense. But there are more serious situations when overcoming fear begins with understanding its root cause.

Fears in modern life

We live in a very complex information world. And the unreal amount of information that comes to us today is strikingly different from that which people received in the era of Jesus Christ. Then, during the period of the full life cycle of a person, there were only six events when decisions had to be made. We have to do this every day and more than once, and at the same time fight fear.

Experts say that psychologically and biologically we do not differ from people of past eras. Therefore, it is difficult for us to cope with the loads of the external environment, we are experiencing an adaptive shock, since it is extremely difficult for us to streamline the avalanche flow of semantic and emotional information that falls upon us.

The nervous system of each of us is experiencing daily stress, so psychologists and psychotherapists today are seriously tackling the question: "how to overcome fear for a modern person."

Psychotherapist Fritz Perls said that the nervous system must chew what is happening in life, then swallow and digest it. Accordingly, all fears are not chewed or swallowed pieces of information.

Myth of the ancient Greeks

Since ancient times, people have known that this phenomenon has a dual nature. Among the ancient Greeks, this knowledge is expressed in the myth of the god Pan (hence the word "panic"). He was born with goat limbs, horns and a beard. His appearance was terrifying, but besides that, he screamed loudly, which terrified people. Pan once sent this gift for good, he horrified the army of the Persians who attacked the Greeks, they did not know how to overcome fear and cowardly fled.

This is just a myth, but in reality, scientists tested volunteers to investigate the nature and effects of this phenomenon on them in extreme situations. They made jumps from a height. At the time of the test, neurons in the tonsils of the brain were activated in the volunteers. This is called anxiety.

The organism immediately reacts to the phenomenon. We all know the feeling of the heart jumping out of the chest, we immediately remember that fear has large eyes, but in reality the pupils expand. In addition, our mouths dry out as the activity of the digestive glands decreases. Such feelings are present in each of us, but the struggle with fear is different for everyone.

Is fear keeping you alive? Does something scare you? What are you afraid of? Often we are afraid of the dangers that can await us every day at every turn. We are afraid to appear ridiculous when speaking in public, to meet an unpleasant insect, to get sick or to harm our health. In fact, these fears can be overcome. It doesn't matter what exactly you are afraid of and why you are worried: in this article you will find 20 universal tips on how to deal with fears, as well as find out what causes them and what prevents us from overcoming them. More on this in an article by CogniFit psychologist Ainoa Arrans.

What is fear?

Why does fear arise? Why is it needed? Fear is the primary emotion that warns us of impending danger. He fills us so that we do not miss the approaching threat. Fear paralyzes us in a frightening situation. Have you ever experienced this feeling? Have you ever experienced a panic that made you run away without thinking about the consequences? This is an absolutely logical reaction in such an emotional state.

It is necessary to distinguish between fear and symptoms of anxiety. Fear appears in a very specific situation, for example, when a stranger is following you down an empty street, who, as you think, is following you. Anxiety, on the contrary, is a fairly general, non-specific emotion that occurs in less specific situations. For example, the anxiety we feel when thinking about our future career or when someone criticizes us.

Fear is an adaptive response to physical or psychological threats. However, it does not always occur in the face of real danger. Sometimes it can be caused by cognitive distortions. The level of intensity of fear can vary from its virtually complete absence to absolute panic. In fact, this emotion can become a real nightmare.

When does fear become a phobia?

If the fear of something becomes too great, excessive, it turns into a phobia. A phobia is a psychological disorder, while fear is a normal healthy emotion.

There are different types of phobias: fear of heights, fear of clowns or coulrophobia, fear of growing old, fear of death, etc. Regardless of the reasons that cause such a reaction, all these phobias significantly reduce the quality of life of the people suffering from them, negatively affecting all areas of daily activity. Can you imagine that there are people who are so afraid to go out that they are forced to spend all their time at home, locked up?

However, it is not necessary for fear to reach the size of a phobia in order to poison a person's life. One way or another, these psychological disorders can prevent us from performing even the most familiar daily duties. In this article, you will find recommendations on how to get rid of fear, regardless of its degree and the reason that provokes this feeling.

Why are we afraid?

Fear is a completely habitual reaction that accompanies us throughout our lives. It makes you act quickly and defend yourself against any danger. It helps to increase our physiological activity, encouraging us to fight or run away. Fear is essential for survival.

There are two main theories about how fear is born. The first, classical one, states that if we associate certain elements (snakes, height, etc.) with situations that are harmful and dangerous for us (injuries, anxiety, etc.), we associate these stimuli with each other and thus acquire conditioned reflex of fear.

On the other hand, according to Albert Bandura's social learning theory, we learn by gaining vicarious experience. In other words, by observing other people who are models for us (neighbor, actor, etc.), we learn their behavior and imitate them. If you once witnessed your little brother being stung by a wasp and you noticed his panic, perhaps every time you see a wasp you will run away in fear. According to this theory, we ourselves decide whether we want to apply a certain type of behavior or not, although this is not easy.

Fear can also lead to positive emotions. We like to experience tremors, heart palpitations, feel tense and frozen in immobility when we are watching a horror movie, comfortably sitting on the couch, or when we are riding a roller coaster. We even look for these sensations when we are sure that we are safe.

It is necessary to learn to manage this emotion from childhood. However, fear of something can begin to be experienced at any age. Moreover, some people are more likely to experience this emotion than others. Our experience also greatly influences how we react to real events. Regardless of what we fear, it is important to remember that it is never too late to conquer fear.

20 Ways to Conquer Fear

In this section, we will give 20 tips and tricks that you can apply on a daily basis. The most important thing is that you must understand that fear sits inside you, no one and nothing forces you to experience it. It may be problematic to think this way on the eve of, for example, a responsible exam, but you must remember that you and only you are responsible for your personal growth. You can overcome this fear with the help of planning, with a little effort and willpower.

1. Don't try to deny your fears.

As we pointed out earlier, fear is a gift that helps us survive. We can also see it in animals in dangerous situations. Fortunately, our body warns us of an approaching threat. Can you imagine what will happen if you don't hide when you see a tiger in the room? Learning to coexist with this emotion is vital. Whatever unpleasant moments we have to endure, we should be grateful for fear.

2. Get to know yourself better

Introspection helps to increase our comfort level. It allows us to understand how we feel or what we want to be, how to act. There is no need to explore deeply what are the roots of our fear, for example, of snakes. However, understanding what stimuli cause us to feel bad emotions can help us develop effective and precise strategies to counter them.

3. Admit your fear

You are human. Living and acting as if fear doesn't exist is counterproductive. Fear does not make you weaker or less respected. It does not matter if the object of your fear is unusual or embarrassing, it is still understandable, and there are people who can support you. Your fear will not disappear just because you ignore it. Recognizing fear is the first step towards overcoming it.

4. Rationalize your fears

The fear of fire is absolutely understandable if we see a fire. However, if every time we light an electric stove, we think about a fire, then we reason illogically. You need to think about the likelihood with which any events can occur, and act accordingly. This will help get rid of unpleasant cognitive processes.

5. Watch other people deal with fear

There are quite common types of fears - for example, the fear of being fired or the fear of blood. It doesn't matter if the cause of your fear is atypical: remember that this emotion causes similar feelings in everyone. The only difference is the degree of intensity that you can control. It is very helpful to recognize that this emotion is natural and observe how other people deal with it.

6. Boost your self-esteem

Some types of fears, such as the fear of communication, are very upsetting to the people who experience them. This can negatively affect self-esteem. "I'm a loser, dumbass." "No one wants a weakling like me." Such thoughts are harmful and can provoke cognitive distortions that can significantly poison our lives.

In some cases, these beliefs can lead to deep inner discomfort and, as a result, severe psychological problems. Fear should not affect your self-esteem. Remember that we are all human and that any person can experience fears, however, we are always able to find a reasonable solution in any situation.

7. Take care of yourself

It is obvious that taking care of your physical and mental health is always beneficial. When we lead a healthy lifestyle (of course, within reasonable limits, we should not focus on sports and proper nutrition), we feel great, our efficiency and performance increase. Therefore, when we feel healthy, able to take care of ourselves, the fear of getting sick is reduced.

8. Don't avoid the object of your fear

If, out of fear of flying, we give up airplanes, or if out of fear of defeat, we lead a mediocre life, we will thereby put up barriers for ourselves. Perhaps even the very thought of having to face the object of your fear causes you extreme anxiety. It's possible that avoiding scary situations may help for a while, but in the long run it will only feed your fears. You have to face your fears.

9. Try relaxation techniques

When we are paralyzed by fear that makes us want to run away or hide, we can use various techniques to stay calm, such as breathing. You can also start counting in your head - until you calm down. In this way, you can reduce the symptoms of fear and distract from negative thoughts.

10. Challenge yourself a little.

Conquering fear takes time and constant effort on your part. Try to visualize what you fear first. For example, if you are afraid to play sports, imagine yourself playing with a ball. Visualizing yourself successfully doing things that scare you will help you feel more confident.

It may be difficult at first, but it will get easier and easier each time. Such exercises form the basis of exposure therapy. You are gradually shown fear-provoking stimuli until you learn to manage your emotions. For example, a person with a fear of snakes might start by looking at a picture of a small snake until they feel comfortable being around a real cobra.

11. Don't face your biggest fear directly.

It's great that you've decided to overcome your fear, but don't do it too abruptly. The exposure method involves a gradual approach to a given goal under the guidance of a specialist. Independent attempts to drastically overcome your fear, for example, grabbing a tarantula with your hand, or going on stage to sing in front of an audience of thousands, can be completely counterproductive and aggravate the situation.

12. Motivate yourself

Think about how you can reward yourself for overcoming your fear. For example, if you are afraid to drive, imagine how great it would be to go on an exciting journey in your own car to an interesting place that you have long dreamed of, without depending on other people. It's hard to concentrate on that positive thought the moment you get behind the wheel. However, if we think not about accidents, but about a pleasant vacation, we will be distracted from negative thoughts.

13. Reward yourself for success

If you're afraid to ride an elevator and the thought of getting stuck in one shocks you, think of a reward for the day you dare to ride the elevator. For example, a package of your favorite sweets or going to the movies. It is important that you yourself recognize your success and want to move on.

14. Mark your progress

Keeping a diary of observations is very useful, especially in situations where you suddenly start to become depressed because of the fear itself or for another reason. However, if you look into your diary, read about your successes, it will help you feel a sense of pride and continue to move forward, become even more effective. The path to success is not always smooth, ups and downs are possible. However, perseverance and determination will help achieve excellent results. In addition, the very fact of keeping records will help you blow off steam and reduce anxiety.

15. Get the support of loved ones

Even if your friends or loved ones don't share your fear, they know the feeling. You will feel better if you share with them your feelings about being afraid to drive in the fog or to communicate with your boss. It is likely that your interlocutors have gone through a similar experience and can give you valuable advice. However, even just their support and participation can help you cope with any challenge.

16. Talk to people who share your fear.

Find people who are going through the same thing as you, it will help you a lot. If you feel like your fear is unusual, or if you feel shy, feel misunderstood, or find it difficult to discuss it with someone, try talking to someone in the same situation (in person or even online). This will help you open up, share experiences, learn something useful for yourself that did not occur to you yourself.

17. Don't be afraid of criticism

Often, no matter what fear we seek to overcome - cycling, falling or speaking English, our steps to overcome these fears can be criticized when we make mistakes or do not succeed.

We all stumble sometimes. Most likely, others do not think about us as often as we think. And when someone criticizes us, you should not pay attention to negative comments - we lose much more by giving up our attempts.

18. Take advantage of new technologies

Scientific and technological advances offer us tremendous opportunities to overcome fear. There are already virtual reality-based therapies that allow people to face their fears in complete safety. In addition, there are simpler ways - for example, various mobile applications developed for a similar purpose.

In particular, special programs have been created for people suffering from aerophobia (fear of flying). These apps provide flight safety data and offer a variety of anxiety-reducing exercises. Programs have also been developed for children to get rid of the fear of the dark with the help of various games and others, for example, helping to overcome the fear of speaking in front of an audience.

19. Filter sources of information

There is a huge amount of information on the Internet that can exacerbate our fears. For example, if you are afraid of illness or terrorist attacks, try not to read this news. The flow of redundant information can make it difficult for us to fight our fears and sometimes even force us to make the wrong decisions.

20. Seek professional help if necessary

Success in the fight against fear is not always entirely dependent on ourselves. If you suffer from a phobia that prevents you from leading a normal life, it is recommended to consult an experienced specialist.

Before a public appearance or before a date with the girl of your dreams? For every person, the concept of fear is familiar. It is an integral part of life, it is one of the basic natural reactions. From birth to death, a person is filled with fears, and the quality of life is determined by how quickly and how successfully he fights them. How to get rid of fear?

You can seek help from a specialist, because sometimes the problems are much deeper and more multi-layered than they seem at first glance. But in most situations it will be possible to do this without the help of psychologists. They suggest how you can get rid of phobias on your own, and these methods really work. There is no universal cure for fear. But there are a number of techniques that can effectively solve the problem.

Where does fear come from

Surely you have noticed that young children do not experience fear, as teenagers and adults do. They are lucky, but why? Getting rid of common fears is irrelevant for them for lack of such. This is due to the fact that this reaction occurs under the influence of the environment. It is she who forms the attitude to certain objects, events, situations. After the child first falls out of the crib and experiences pain, he acquires the first reaction, to experience pain again.

With every day of growing up, socialization, more and more such situations accumulate, the piggy bank of reactions grows, fears form, unite, merge. One is born from the other, becomes stronger or weaker. Children do not know how to deal with phobias, and the latter spill over into adulthood. There is no absolutely successful person in everything and always, some failures and fatal coincidences of circumstances are present in everyone's life. After a bad public speaking experience, some people never go up to the microphone again, lest they experience those emotions again. Fear is born, how to deal with it, how to overcome it?

What to do? To live well and happily, you need to get rid of anxiety and worries. This will improve the quality of life, gain confidence. What is needed for this? How to overcome fear? There are various methods of struggle, they are used by millions of people, overcoming the most difficult situations. It is necessary to consider some of the most common and universal. It is important to understand that in order to achieve a result, you need not only to know about the technique, but also to want to remove the fear and anxiety that prevent you from living a better life. Want and do. Cope with the feeling that interferes with life and stop worrying.

Fear is a response to the environment

How to get rid of bad thoughts? First you need to analyze and realize that you have a feeling of anxiety and fear. No matter how trite it may sound, it often takes no less time to recognize a problem than to solve it. Instill in yourself the ability to act contrary. Awareness and analysis of the problem will allow you to look more broadly. Fear can be small, big, strong, weak. But as long as it is there and germinating in your body, you will not be able to move on. Find the cause and analyze where it all came from, after what events it appeared. Convince yourself that this is just a reaction and that you can control it. This is the first and main remedy for fear - awareness of the problem.

You don't have to rely on age. You can work on yourself at any time, it's never too late to change your life for the better. How to overcome fear if you are no longer young? Over the years, it is becoming more and more difficult to overcome fears, since a certain picture of the environment, a worldview is taking shape, and going beyond it is not only uncomfortable, but also scary. People are not born successful, they become them. The costs of education also play an important role in the formation of personality. For the fragile mind of a child, small situations can grow into big fears in the future.

How to get rid of fear from childhood? If you clearly understand that you are afraid, for example, to ride in an elevator, because as a child you got stuck in it and spent half a day in the dark, then you can overcome fear on your own by an effort of will. Say out loud: “Yes, it’s scary now, but this feeling exists only in my head, I can and I know how to overcome it.” Do it quickly, get into the elevator without giving your consciousness the opportunity to trap you, enveloping you in a veil of fear. The longer you wait, the more tension builds. Do not give free rein to the imagination, as it is more difficult to get rid of fears and anxieties by standing in front of it face to face for too long.

Imagine your fear as a high wall blocking the path to happiness. You can't see what's behind that wall. It just needs to be passed. Fear is a wall, an illusion, it doesn't really exist, it's only in your head. Just open the door and go through the wall. Accept, respect fear and overcome it by passing through it like through a foggy wall. The method is acceptance, not denial. There is no need to fight and reject it in yourself, you need to recognize it as a part of consciousness, because fear can only be overcome in this way. Act without letting the brain come to its senses. As soon as you get into a scary situation, just enter this door.

Fight fear like a samurai

How to manage fear, and is it possible? Logic is your best weapon in this fight. Take imagination to your side, make it your ally. Let it show the worst scenario for the development of the situation. You are afraid to ride in an elevator because you might get stuck, just like when you were a child. How to overcome fear? Standing in front of the door, imagine that you are already inside and really stuck. It is dark, you are hanging between the fifth and sixth floors, and there is no way to get out on your own, the phone does not catch the network, no one will come to the rescue, and you will not be found until morning. You can hardly breathe from excitement. A gloomy picture? Experience this feeling as real. Open your eyes. You just had a nightmare and survived. Now you know what you will experience in the worst case and survive. Not so scary anymore, is it? Most people are afraid of the unknown. What happens when the elevator slams behind you? How will lifeguards work? How quickly do they arrive to help? Try to find answers, connect logic. She will tell you how to get rid of the feeling of fear.

It is required to imagine a situation in which a man is going to propose a marriage to the woman of his dreams. He is afraid that she will refuse, and these phobias in adults cloud the mind. In this situation, the samurai method will help. You need to concentrate and imagine that day X has come: here you pull out the ring from your pocket and kneel down, pronouncing the cherished words. The girl refuses. What will happen after that? Will the world collapse? No. Getting rid of fears comes through awareness. You will suffer, but over time, the pain will subside and everything will return to normal. You will understand that the person next to you was not the one. You will be glad that you did not live months and years next to someone who is not a match for you. You will pave the way for new relationships.

Overcoming fear is not always useful and necessary. After all, this is a natural reaction, including part of the instinct of self-preservation. It is always important to turn on your head and analyze the situation, as removing fear, standing on the edge of the abyss, is fatal. You need to imagine that for the first time in your life you came to the rink and got on skates. People are confidently rushing around at high speed, they easily maneuver and confidently keep in the general stream. You are afraid, because, having got into such a whirlpool of people, you will have to move in the same rhythm and at the same speed. The brain suggests that it is better to stay at the side for now and learn the basic movements. And right now, he's right. Distinguish self-preservation instinct from phobias and know when taming fear will do you good and not harm.

Evaluate anxiety from a position of logic, discarding emotions. Sometimes being afraid is okay.

Decisiveness is the enemy of fear

No one comes out not to be afraid of anything. The most successful people worked on their minds to achieve heights. How to lose fear in order to live better? Leave him out of your boat of a happy life. Being a determined person, you can defeat him. Tune in to solve the problem, plan, think over a plan in yourself. Fighting fear will be your decision. Fill your mind not with uncontrolled emotions, but with a concrete plan for victory. The feeling of fear and anxiety is friends with emptiness and uncertainty, these are his best friends. Fill the broadcast with the words: here is the victory plan, the decision has been made and cannot be changed. There is no way back, because you have agreed with your consciousness. Self-tuning is an important thing.

How to stop being afraid? Do not let emotions take over, do not cheat. The scenes of failure and failure can be terrifying. Remember: the eyes are afraid - the hands are doing. Be a purposeful person. Even if nothing comes of it, you will keep your word to yourself. What pride there will be in keeping a promise! And if you manage to conquer fear, then it will double. Think positively, look for positive moments even in the fight against anxieties and phobias. Victory over fear will open new horizons. To fight phobias and fears on your own, you need to pull out the inner hero. Realize, decide what you need. How to learn? Predict the success that will happen when you reach your goal. Remember to praise your own determination and strength.

Treating phobias and fears on your own is possible for everyone, the main thing is to find a suitable method.

Become a Psychologist

You can learn not to be afraid of anything! Knowing there is fear is half the battle. To realize and accept it means to take a big step towards success. Psychologists know how to treat phobias and share information that you can use to work on your own. Preparation begins with analysis. Key issues requiring disclosure:

why is it scary
what exactly is scary;
you need to be afraid of this further;
excitement is rational;
afraid of the action or the consequences.

Write down the arguments on paper and hang them in a conspicuous place. Reflect and add as needed. Once you decompose fear into molecules, it will become clear to you. And people are less afraid of understandable things than unknown ones. Fear will become an old acquaintance for you, you will switch to “you”. How to stop being afraid of cars? Study this complex mechanism, get under the hood, talk to the mechanic, find out everything about this iron monster. Taming the feeling of fear starts small. How not to be afraid of the dark? Study it. Walk around the room at night.

The problem of overcoming fear is solved with the help of visualization. Spend several sessions imagining in detail the actions in a scary situation. So you enter the entrance and head to the elevator, you press the call button, you are calm and confident. Doors open, you step inside, and so on. The more detail in your visualization, the better. Your consciousness will accept this version of the scenario, and it will remain to implement it. Self-hypnosis in this case will work like hypnosis. This is a very powerful thing, it is practiced with success in the most complex phobias. The main rule is regularity of visualization. Schedule sessions with consciousness. How to stop being afraid with the help of such sessions? The amount depends on the circumstances, but often 5-8 times is sufficient. How to remove fear forever? Consolidate success several times.

Knightly courage in the fight against fear

If you are afraid of spiders, then the object is the reflex in your head. As soon as the eyes see a spider, an impulse is given to the brain and you are terribly scared. Although the spider itself is not dangerous and does not pose a threat to life. How to stop being afraid, for example, of spiders? The task is to overcome fear so that it does not become an obstacle to a happy life. You need to win intellectually and start thinking clearly and clearly. Practice being brave.

What is the fastest way to get rid of fear? It works well in an emergency. Imagine that you are saving a small child from a spider. Could you do it for someone else? Probably yes. So why not do it for yourself? Become your own brave knight. Taming fear is like taming a dragon.

Self-confidence can be trained. All successful speakers started with small speeches, training. In the case of fear, you can train to be courageous. Win gradually, start small and go big. Approach the elevator, watch it rise and fall. Watch people get in and out. Do you see that there is no reason to be afraid? Treating fear is a slow process. Work at your own pace, don't look at others. For some it is as little as reading a book on overcoming that helps, for others it takes months or years. This is individual. The main thing is the result. If you have found how to get rid of a phobia on your own, work hard and everything will work out sooner or later.

All current speakers know how to deal with their fear of public speaking. Are there natural talents that can turn a crowd of a thousand people on the first try? Yes, but these are units. Hundreds of people perform every day. In the case of public speaking, the example of working on oneself is much more revealing. How to get rid of speech anxiety? Start fighting fear by putting yourself in an uncomfortable situation. Call a few people and give a speech around the table. Be brave. If you pick up a book about the success story of a famous person, you will be surprised at what he was faced with at first. Everyone is afraid.

Take the experience of the best and apply it to your story. This method works well with social phobias. Some are afraid to talk on the phone because they can't see a person, someone can't turn to a stranger on the street, and others refuse to go to interviews with strangers. How to stop being afraid of all this? The problem is only in the head. Be brave, step out of your comfort zone, make fear control a habit! Start small, make eye contact with strangers on the street, smile at a child, say hello to a waiter before ordering.

How to get rid of fear and anxiety gradually? The technique of breaking down into components and working on each part separately works well. You can try the following script:

there is a great fear, how to get rid of it is not yet clear;
break it into 3 small components, divide into blocks;
practice how to conquer fear in each of the three parts;
go from anxiety and fear to victory.

Don't give up if things don't work right away. Avoid negative opinions. Overcoming fears requires concentration and sometimes takes a long time. But it is an investment that will pay off handsomely. Try different techniques, come up with your own ways to overcome fear, test. Even if it takes a year to get into a damn elevator, you will get a great way to get up the floors for the rest of your life. Before you fight fear, evaluate the positive effect of overcoming, understand the value. This will be an additional incentive.

Auxiliary practices

How to control fear or defeat it completely and irrevocably? Self-confidence helps in the fight against strong anxieties. Start by realizing your worth, praise yourself daily. Cultivate strength, and then the taming of fear will go like clockwork. Surely you have noticed that people with unreasonably high self-esteem achieve more. They are just less afraid, because the awareness of their own coolness does not allow them to succumb to phobias too often. They do not depend on someone else's opinion. Why are you worse? Try to build confidence and keep your anxiety under control.

Here are some ways to work with fears through auxiliary practices:

praise yourself for completing difficult tasks;
praise your virtue;
act honestly and correctly;
help others, get praise.

The listed simple practices will not require much effort, however, with a cumulative effect, they will help heal fear and give an incredible result, it will be quite stable, it will constantly feed. There is strength and confidence within. She will tell you how to cure a phobia. How to overcome fear? Try to fill your life with positive emotions, this is a creative force that helps you achieve your goals. Psychology allows you to model life.

How to get rid of phobias and fears on your own, if none of the above helps? Another technique for dealing with fear is associated with auxiliary emotions. Faith helps a lot (for example, in higher powers), love (for the sake of loved ones, people are ready for exploits), virtue (for the sake of saving lives, people at the moment step over the threshold of phobia).

When choosing a way to treat fear, do not be afraid to try more and more new techniques until you reach the result. However, if you have severe anxiety and fear interfering with life, treatment can be carried out with the involvement of specialists. For each person, it will be possible to choose an individual course, they work with both children's problems and post-traumatic syndrome. Doctors know how to get rid of them in difficult cases.