Overcoming Fear and Demotivation: Practical Tips to Master Your Mind....

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"I am scared" or "I don't think I can do this" or "why me" a common sentence we all utter or hear many times in a day. Having a stance we all hold dear as being top of the food chain, it seems quite oxymoronic that we, the humans, are fearful of everything. Even while writing this article, i was thinking of so many possibilities that it could go wrong. The question led me deeper in to abyss where again I asked myself: Why the dynamics of every single state for us starts with a NO or with a statement, "what if it does not work". After much deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that fear is not marked by the inability of doing something. Rather it is the possibility of achieving it that scares us. Since our entire working or planning surrounds the dilemma of counteracting failure, we enhance our importance and contribution by going in that state of fear. This enables us to take on the role of a pragmatic, practical and smart being. It satisfies our basis for setting out a goal and the journey we carve for achieving it.

No doubt, the uneasiness associated with the unknown is a huge underlying basis of FEAR. It is an emotion provoked by threat, anticipated by harm or pain. Facing fear can become detrimental in many cases. The result is de-motivation, loss of interest and zero inclination. The common conception is to overcome your fears by doing the very thing that makes you uncomfortable. However, I won't support this claim. Since it's a generalized statement behind which lies a vast sea of struggle and emotional coping. Therefore, facing fear head on would only raise anxiety levels. The key to overcome these is to gently push yourself towards doing things that are out of your comfort zone.

Additionally, Fear may also cause physiological changes that leads to behavioral reactions such as aggression, but it can be modulated through cognitive responses and learning. This is a natural cycle of evolution, since the courage to face any event or challenge comes when you equate it to a learning process. I have been through many fitful episodes of change and transitions in my life that certainly aroused fear to an extent where it became insecurity. It's amazing how we go through life, mostly feeling stressed over everything. My favorite part is that nothing lasts forever, so let me give you five steps that I follow when I am feeling scared:

Tip #1 - Learn about your fear.....

The first step is to learn about your fear. You can't keep hiding forever from your own self. Explore the dynamics that run the situation in each particular case. You will find a common thread, a single insecurity, an emotional trauma related to it. There will be a common theme to it all. most of the times. If not a common theme, a single source of anxiety that turns into fear when facing the unexpected. Figure out the belief system and thought patterns in relation to it. This will enable you to prioritize your values again.

Sometimes we try to solve all the challenges with the same set of values that have benefitted us earlier. But the situation requires a different set of values to surface and show the functionality it carries. Learning about your fear will always help you see it in a more informed manner.

Tip #2 - Push yourself to think differently......

Once you have learned about the dynamics of your fear. Push yourself to think differently. Being human means we love to overthink things. Once you feel the urge to think and assess about all the factors that make an event/challenge/person fearful, push yourself to think the alternative options. Options that can keep your mind off the overthinking mode. Try thinking of a story as to how things can go otherwise. Figure out the characters and assess the situation accordingly. It would be a fun way to keep yourself calm and stable

Tip #3 - Never make it personal.....

The third step is to never make it personal although the implications may force us to to do the opposite. Making it personal never lets you make a story. Which in turn makes you think that you need to be courageous if you have to survive. Being brave becomes a modicum of existence which is only burdening you, when on the contrary, you need to be calm enough to identify the patterns. Most of the time we equate being courageous to being stubborn in the face of a challenge. When all that is needed is to take a deep breath and assess the situation. This way the fear mutation can subside.

Tip #4 - Be strong not stubborn....

The fourth step is to be strong in the face of the challenge. Being strong does not mean being stubborn. The fear situation demands that you be brave enough to identify your weaknesses and wait and work on those traits. But we misread the situation since our mind is in hyper state and misinterpret the entire thing. You don't have to be afraid of being strong and mutate the concept to the point where it is difficult to distinguish between strength and stubbornness.

Being stubborn won't get you the desired results but being strong will.

Tip #5 - Feel the motivation....

Once you have reached the stage where your story makes sense and you understand the meaning of being strong, you will feel motivated. This positive feeling is coming from the steps you took to self-analyze and inspire your own self. You now know that Fear is just a feeling trying to convey a message and all you had to do was to listen to the underlying message clearly so it starts making sense.

In my opinion, fear is the first step towards change and change means life. Try and listen carefully what this feeling is trying to say to you. It's just like playing a game: you don't move to the next level till you clear level 1 and so on. Similarly, if you try to understand and push yourself to think differently, things will work out themselves.

This article is not for people with phobias. They definitely need to get the proper psych help and not experiment with anything there doctor does not recommend.

www.stepbeyondfear.com

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