How to Deal with Your Fears?

In our journey of life, we have created several fears that impede our growth and success. We harbor fears that cause stress and restrict us from achieving our goals.

Let us look at some common fears that we create:

Fear of God

Have you heard the phrase, “God-fearing?”

I am sure you must have!

What does it imply?

Simply put it means fearing God each time you want to do something. To some, it means following all the rituals prescribed by one’s religion to ensure that God is happy. Such people fear God in case they miss out on something. They feel that God will be upset by this and punish them.

The truth is that the God we follow irrespective of the religion is someone who cares for us and forgives us for our mistakes. We can keep Him happy not by following all the rituals but by being good, compassionate human beings who care for others. This includes caring for fellow human beings, other creatures, and our planet.

Some people are so fearful that each time they want to do something, they are worried about whether God will like it or not. In this case, I would say each one of us has a conscience that guides us in whatever we do. Whenever we want to do something, our conscience gives us a signal of whether we should be doing that thing or not. All we need to do is listen to our conscience and we will not err. How this works is, whenever you want to do something different, you will get an uncomfortable feeling that if that action is not right for you. However, this feeling should not be confused with the excitement or nervousness one experiences when stepping out of one’s comfort zone. Unfortunately, we live in so much chaos that our inner voice is lost somewhere and we are unaware of its existence.

You need to remember that God is not someone to be feared but someone who stands by us in our hour of need!

Fear of the Future

One of the most common fears that afflict mankind is “fear of the future!” We are so worried about what the future will bring us that we miss out completely on what our present is offering!

We worry and assume a whole lot of things about a future that we have no control over. We think and plan and plan for our future because we want to ensure that we are comfortable and happy in the future.

The truth is that future is unpredictable! Look at the current pandemic. People must have been planning so many things for 2020 and the years after that. But the unexpected turn of events has left all of us bewildered. We are all fighting to keep ourselves healthy and avoid the disease. This is just one example of how uncertain the future can be and there is not much that we can do to control it.

Does this mean that one should not plan for the future?

This is not what I am implying. Our present lays the foundation for our future. In other words, if we take care of our present our future automatically gets taken care of. Let me explain how. If you take care of your current health and invest in keeping yourself healthy and fit, you will face fewer health issues in the future.

There are three important aspects that you need to focus on to take care of your future:

Health: Make sure to develop a healthy lifestyle because you need good health for a better future.

Relationships: Most of us ignore the importance of relationships in our lives. We are so focused on the goals that we take relationships for granted. Man is a social animal and we need people at every stage of our lives. Identify the relationships that matter and nurture them for a better future.

Money: We know that we need money to lead a comfortable life in the future. But we do not know how much? Many people spend their present worrying incessantly about saving for the future. And, in the process, they cause stress to themselves which manifests in their physical health. Then there are those who cut corners and compromise on their future to save for their future. Planning for your future in no way means making your present difficult. While saving money is important, it should not become an obsession.

What you need to realize is that your “present” was your future yesterday. And, so there is no point ruining it in the hope of a better future.

Fear of Failure

How often do we give up on trying to do something outside our comfort zone because of the “fear of failure!” We allow this fear to work on our minds and we are scared to try something new.

Failure is not an unexpected outcome of an endeavor. Whenever you try something new, there is a 50% probability of failing at it.

This does not mean that you should not try something different! Whenever you are trying something different, make sure to have a “Plan B” in case your plan fails. If you have a backup plan in case of a failure, you will be more confident in stepping out of your comfort zone. So whenever you want to try something different, make all the plans to become successful but also think of the worst-case scenario if your plan fails. Have a contingency plan where you decide on how will recover the losses you make or what you can do to salvage the situation in case of a failure.

It is only when you plan for your failures, that you can take on new ventures or responsibilities!

These are some of the common fears we face and ways to deal with them!