5 Ultimate Tips to Overcome Fear and Anxiety.Whether you suffer from anxiety or fear, there are many ways to overcome these emotions. With a little patience and practice, you can overcome your fears and move forward.
One of the most powerful tips to overcome fear is to adopt a growth mindset. This means stopping striving for perfection, and instead embracing your own progress.
- Write it down
When you’re experiencing fear and anxiety, it’s important to remember that these emotions are natural. They’re your body’s way of warning you to be careful.
Take a moment to calm yourself down by visualising something positive, such as a happy memory from your childhood or a peaceful beach. This will help ease your symptoms and keep you calm until you’re ready to face your fears.
If you find it difficult to do this alone, try sharing your fears with a friend or family member. They will be able to help you overcome them and may also give you a different perspective.
- Take a deep breath
Deep breathing exercises are often recommended by mental health professionals as a way to deal with anxiety and stress. They can also be a good way to relax before bed.
Many people who struggle with anxiety breathe too quickly, causing them to feel short of breath and hyperventilating. Breathing slowly can relieve this and reduce your likelihood of a panic attack.
You can do this by using a simple breathing exercise that you can perform anywhere, at any time.
Practicing this technique for 20-30 minutes a day can be helpful in reducing stress and anxiety. You can do it on its own or as part of a daily routine, such as in the morning before you get out of bed.
- Visualise yourself doing it
Visualising yourself doing something can be incredibly helpful. It helps you map out the steps to success and embeds a new neural pattern in your brain, which makes it easier to do the actual thing later on.
This technique is easiest for skill practice, such as music or sport, but it’s also useful for anything else you’re trying to do better in life. Start by taking 3 large abdominal breaths, relaxing with each exhale, then imagine yourself doing the task a few times perfectly.
This might feel a little strange at first, but with consistent practice it’ll get more natural and you’ll start to see results. You’ll also find that you can return to it whenever you need to relax and de-stress.
- Practice gratitude
Gratitude is one of the best ways to combat anxiety. This is because it shifts your focus away from negative thoughts and towards positive ones.
People who practice gratitude also tend to feel more optimistic and happy about life. This is a great way to keep yourself motivated and help you achieve your goals.
Another reason to start practicing gratitude is that it can strengthen your relationships with others. This is because it makes you more appreciative and therefore more likely to receive the help you need from other people.
Practicing gratitude can also reduce repetitive negative thinking (RNT), which is linked to high levels of anxiety. It can also make you less materialistic and help you think more about intangible things in your life, such as health, happiness and relationships.
- Don’t procrastinate
Everyone experiences fear and anxiety from time to time. However, if these feelings become a pattern, it can affect your life in many ways.
Anxiety and fear are phylogenetically adaptive emotions that help our bodies prepare us for a potential threat or danger. For example, when you are driving in traffic and you start to feel apprehensive, your palms may get sweaty and your heart starts to race.
Rather than let this fear dictate your decisions, shift your focus to acceptance instead. By taking a moment to acknowledge your experiences and shift your thinking, you can learn from them and apply them in the future.