Making Peace with Your Fears
February 15, 2023|Animal Lovers and Med Team, Authenticity & Self Expression
Fears are something that everyone experiences, regardless of age or circumstance. They can range from small, irrational worries to genuine and overwhelming terrors that can cause us to doubt ourselves. Though these fears can seem restrictive and daunting, making peace with them is possible. Doing so helps us recognize and accept our fears so we can still move forward with strength and confidence despite them.
Identifying Your Fears
When we try to make peace with our fears, the first step is to recognize the source of those fears and understand why they are there in the first place. It’s essential to identify what is causing us to fear so that we can move toward coping with it rather than denial or avoidance.
Acknowledging Your Fears
The second step in making peace with our fears is acknowledging them with understanding and acceptance. That means recognizing our fears without beating ourselves up or believing they are too strong to overcome. It’s ok to experience anxiety; the key is learning how to cope without letting it control us. This benefits our mental health and can help build self-esteem by showing us that we can conquer our fears.
Coping with Your Fears
Once we’ve identified and accepted our fears, next we learn how to cope with them in healthy ways that don’t involve avoidance or denial. This could mean finding ways to put things into perspective to minimize fear-related stress. Some strategies include mental exercises like visualization or mindfulness or reaching out for support from nonjudgmental friends and family members. Additionally, reframing fear as an opportunity for growth can help give us a newfound strength and purpose when facing our fears head-on.
Making Peace with Your Fears
The final step toward making peace with our fears is letting go of what we cannot control and accepting that certain things may never change, no matter how hard we try. Having realistic expectations when facing our fears is vital. Suppose we try too hard or expect too much of ourselves. In that case, we can forget to appreciate small successes and achievements. Learning how to accept our fears and use them as motivation for growth will ultimately help bring about true peace within ourselves.
Living A Healthy Life Without Fear
Making peace with our fears is essential for a healthy life. Stability helps us recognize what causes us anxiety and provides us with healthy outlets for handling those anxieties. Identifying, acknowledging, coping with, and ultimately accepting our fears are all part of making peace with them. Every small (or large!) accomplishment along this journey should be celebrated as we move closer to being at ease.
Until next time, be well.
-The Indigo Phoenix