How to Get Rid of Fear
October 2nd, 2010
Fear is a normal, healthy response to dangerous situations. It keeps us from provoking wild animals, eating fondue while driving, and having gasoline fights around a bonfire. But when fear becomes irrational, excessive, and debilitating - when it interferes with your ability to function and attain happiness - it's got to go.
Debilitating fears fall into three general categories: specific fears (needles, darkness, bridges, animals), social fears (public speaking, uncontrolled social situations, socializing), and fear of spaces (dentist's office, mall, school, crowded rooms). Below you can learn how to get rid of fear - regardless of your specific fear - using coping strategies, therapy, natural and alternative remedies and more.
Methods for Getting Rid of Fear
Getting rid of fears means facing them. It's a cliche founded in medical science. Fear of public speaking? Speak publicly. Start by imagining a crowd and practicing in front of a mirror. Next try getting a few friends to listen. After that, perhaps a small community education class on speaking. It's all about exposure by degrees - reconditioning your fear response. If this all sounds daunting, seek help. "Exposure therapy" is something psychologists are schooled in, and they'll be able to offer many other coping strategies and techniques to help you get rid of fear.
Understanding fear can alleviate it. Unknowns foster fear and feelings of vulnerability. This is why children are so prone to fear. If you're afraid of spiders, try researching them for a time - their behaviors, varieties, life cycles and so on. Afraid of water? Learn about swimming or boating, or take a water safety class. If you understand the actual level of danger of a given object, activity, or place and yet still suffer extreme, irrational fear and distress, you're probably not dealing with ordinary fear but a phobia. This mental disorder will usually require therapy.
Use coping strategies to get rid of fear symptoms. Here is one of many simple breathing techniques that can help you regain your composure when fear strikes: 1) Breathe in slowly through your nose to the count of four. 2) Hold it to the count of three. 3) Exhale slowly through your mouth to the count of four. 4) Repeat until reasonably calm. The counting refocuses your thoughts while the breathing lowers heart rate. Giving your fear a rating on a 1-10 scale can also help put your feelings in perspective.
Get rid of fear with cognitive behavioral therapy. This form of formal therapy is often used to get rid of fears and various anxiety and panic disorders. Here you'll learn to identify fear triggers, use coping strategies, and alter your thinking and the very way you view your fear. Indeed, cognitive behavioral therapy, first and foremost, is about controlling our perceptions and thoughts. After all, we are what we think.
Get an assessment from a professional. Fears are often confused with panic and anxiety disorders as well as phobias. Diagnosing psychological problems usually requires a long, rigorous interview, but to get the best treatment, you'll need a correct diagnosis. This is something best done in person, not on the Internet. If you're worried about cost, think about how much your fear has already cost you professionally and personally.
Help Children Get Rid of Fear
Unlike adults, children will develop and overcome fears on their own without any specific treatment. There are far more unknowns in the world of a child, and of course these gaps in their knowledge and understanding foster feelings of vulnerability. But it's important not to become an enabler: do not condone or aid in irrational avoidance behavior. The same strategy of getting rid of fears through exposure will work with children. If they fear water, of course you wouldn't just toss them into the deep end of a murky bog. Take small steps. Try the baby pool first, next the big pool with a flotation device or life jacket, then swimming with your help, until finally they turn into a fish and swim away.
Another thing you can do for children is get rid of your own irrational fears. While not understood to be genetically handed down, debilitating fears are passed on to children when they observe and internalize your irrational reaction to the feared object, place, or activity.
Will my fears go away on their own?
No. Generally, getting rid of fear will require some deliberate work on your part if it developed during adolescence or adulthood. Children, however, usually develop and overcome a laundry list of common childhood fears, but you'll want to address the problem if your little one has been troubled for longer than six months.
Get Rid of Fear Naturally
Biofeedback. This form of therapy involves using different monitoring devices that measure things like heart rate, blood flow, sweat gland activity, skin temperature, respiration, and muscle tension. With these instruments, a biofeedback specialist will teach you how to control these physiological activities at will. Sounds far-fetched, but many people are having great success getting rid of fears and fear symptoms with biofeedback.
Hypnotherapy. This fringe therapy is often used to treat fear and phobias. In the hypnotic state - a state of heightened awareness and focus - you'll be more open to discussing fears. Hypnosis has been known to help people alter perceptions, feelings, and sensations. It is often just one aspect of therapy, not a stand-alone treatment.
Valerian Root. Are fears stalking your mind at night, keeping sleep at bay? Valerian root is a natural sedative that is often used as a sleep aid and to reduce anxiety.
Kava. This herb has a calming effect both on mind and body, and it could help take the edge off when you are confronted with fear. Of course, you'll want to check with your doctor first.. And don't buy low-quality kava supplements that have been extracted with acetone or ethanol. You want extraction with water.