Fear is something that most people would rather avoid, and for good reason. The negative emotions and stress linked to fear can impose a host of negative impacts on the mind and body. Yet, as bad as fear can be it doesn’t have to be all bad. Fear, which is an unavoidable part of life, can be used to our advantage. We just need the knowledge to be able to make this possible.
Reality Check
Fear can help you to tune into yourself in a very real way. When you acknowledge you’re afraid you can take the time to get to the bottom of what is causing the fear. Knowing yourself and your triggers in a more intimate way helps you better understand and manage yourself. This information can also aid you in developing a plan for coping with future fears you may encounter.
Make Changes
Another way fear can be used is to help us initiate change in our lives. Fear can be a catalyst that gets us out of our current situations and propels us forward. When we are afraid, we are confronted with a turning point- lean into the fear or let the fear control us.
When we lean into the fear, we take charge and decide to use it to improve ourselves and our situations. This means we can choose to change environments, alter circumstances, or even shift the people we have in our lives.
Protect Yourself
Fear can serve a very real benefit of helping us protect ourselves. Often, fear alerts us to potential danger that we then have the ability to respond to. When we tap into fear and what is causing it, we can take the necessary measures to ensure our safety and well-being. That can look like removing ourselves from certain situations or making changes that will improve our outcome.
Alter Your Perspective
Fear can also be used to teach you how to alter your perspective when faced with negative situations. As you learn to adapt to fear you get better at controlling your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. This then helps you develop the ability to be able to look at fearful and negative situations and seek out the good.
Take a Pause
Another way that fear can be useful is by helping you to slow down and take a break. Sometimes we can be on the go so much that it takes something drastic to help us stop and reflect.
When faced with fear we generally need to take time to pause and process the source of the fear and the impact that fear might be having on us. Then once we accurately assess the situation we can move ahead. These breaks in life are often needed to help us reset and readjust.
Develop Boldness
Ultimately, when we are able to face our fears, it helps us develop a sense of courage that helps us. When we face challenges and hardships and are able to push through them it helps us to see what we are capable of and how we can actually overcome tough things. It is this boost in confidence and self-esteem that can help us as we move through life so that we don’t shy away from fearful situations in the future.
Learning to use your fears to your advantage is the key to overcoming your fears. When you can see fear as beneficial instead of debilitating, you can let it propel you forward.
