How do we step into the unknown and tackle the fear head-on?

In this article, I’m going to guide you through 3 main ideas of moving through fear, suggested by Science, Psychology, and Self-help. Which theory works best is really dependent on the type of person you are as you read this article. It also depends on what ailments you are experiencing.

This is not by far an exhaustive list. I have included only a few suggestions that you won't necessarily see in Cosmo or Elle.

SCIENCE'S GENERAL CONSENSUS ON MOVING THROUGH FEAR 

The scientific community is split on “fear” existing in the brain chemistry versus existing only in the mind. What most agree on is that fear manifests in the brain through the fight or flight response. Your fight or flight response results in heightened arousal of your nervous system. In order to move through fear the scientific way, you need to keep your mind and nervous system from lacking in fear.

How would you do this? By practicing self-care. Practising self-care such as mindfulness, yoga, meditation, etc. slows down your thinking brain. In theory, this will bring you into the present moment and help you rationalize yourself out of your fearful state.

PSYCHOLOGY'S GENERAL CONSENSUS ON MOVING THROUGH FEAR

The main belief here is that fear can be broken by exposure to it. Meaning that if you keep flying, in theory, your fright of flying is supposed to decrease little by little after every flight. The time frame depends on the fear and for the length of time that person has had the fear. The question is, how does this work when it comes to attempting something that scares us, but only slightly?

If you are trying to overcome small fears such as starting a business or learning how to dance, it’s time that you faced your fears head-on. You now know that each time you show up and move through the fear, it’s getting a little easier each and every time.

SELF HELP'S GENERAL CONSENSUS ON MOVING THROUGH FEAR

The main belief in self-help is that it is important to call out your fear, that there is no way of hiding it and creating a shame bubble around it. Your fear is there, regardless of if you view it as a good thing or a bad thing. Calling it out, and talking about it, are the two most important things you need to do. Now what?

After you talk about it and get really clear on what you're fearful of, it’s time to visualize yourself working through it with confidence and productivity. Slaying every hang-up along the way. After that, it’s just a simple matter of taking action to make your dreams happen.

If it were only that easy.

MY THOUGHTS

I love learning about fear from all angles, and this has impacted how I create a plan to minimize fear in my life. I recognize where it shows up, and then I problem-solve. For instance, I secretly care what people think of me so I get my amazing colleague to post my social media posts for me. This allows me to let go of control and forget about the content that I created. I have found ways to move through fearful thoughts on my own terms.

That being said, I get hella scared most of the time. Sometimes when it comes to breaking old underserving patterns such as eating junk food too often or giving up drinking and having to create a new identity without this part of me. IT’S SCARY. What ifs' cloud my mind and say all sorts of things. What if it’s not worth it? What if we’ve wasted our time? What if this entire time they’ve been right the entire time and we’re not good enough?

Because ladies and gents, that is what it almost always comes down to. The fear of feeling as though we are not good enough, not deserving enough, not worthy enough. Simply, not enough.