How to Cast Away Fear

Fear often centers on things we cannot control. For that very reason, fear is a difficult emotion to manage. Sometimes fears revolve around actions, such as flying or driving. Other times, fear emerges in response to deep emotional issues. Professional counseling may be necessary to handle some types of fears, such as fear of people, if the feeling interferes with your daily life. For many people, taking a closer look at the nature of your fear and its triggers can help cast it away.

Instructions

• 1

  Identify what it is you're afraid of. Perhaps you're afraid you will lose your job, or you're afraid of an upcoming flight because you're afraid to fly.

• 2

  Separate what you can control from what you cannot. You cannot control whether the plane will crash or you will lose your job. However, you can control other related factors.

• 3

  Take action against what you can control. You could improve your resume and even sent out a few copies if you're afraid of losing your job. Taking positive action to remedy your greatest fear can help cast it away.

• 4

  List what scares you most about the things you cannot control. Include predictions about what you think will happen and beliefs about how you would react.

• 5

  Go down the list, and evaluate it by asking yourself how likely it is that the worst will happen.

• 6

  Think about what would happen if the worst did occur. How would you handle it? Planning against the worst-case scenario for a brief period of time may make you feel more capable of handling it. Limit yourself to a window of time for these thoughts --- about 10 minutes.

• 7

  Concentrate on the present moment, and understand that ultimately, you can't control the things out of your control. Try meditating by sitting still and focusing on the breath. Meditation can help you stay in the present moment and avoid fear, which revolves around future events that might not even happen.