Are your fears holding you back from enjoying the life you want and deserve?

Perhaps you have established yourself as an expert in your industry, and the next inevitable step for your professional growth is to start your own venture. But there is that nagging voice inside your head that stops you from taking the risk.

Or maybe, you miss out on adventures with your friends or loved ones, frozen by the belief that you might get hurt.

What is fear?

It may be tempting to dismiss fear as something illogical. But fear has played and continues to play a crucial role in human survival.

Fear arises in situations where people feel threatened. These threats can come in the form of physical, psychological, or emotional harm.

Everyone can experience fear. It is a natural reaction that nobody should be ashamed of. More importantly, fear can help keep you safe.

Fear vs. phobia

There is a misconception that fear and phobia are the same. They are actually different.

Fear is usually triggered in reaction to certain objects or events. Phobia, on the other hand, is fear accompanied by a crippling inability to function normally.

Overcoming your fear

Fear is a natural and biological reaction. But according to Rhonda Britten, founder of Fearless Living Institute, author, keynote speaker, TV personality, and life coach, there are a few things you can do to set yourself free from paralyzing fear.

Here are the steps you need to take to achieve fearless living.

Be kind to yourself first

Confronting your fears typically means looking at those critically. But those critical eyes should be tempered by kindness and compassion toward yourself.

Understand that you have a lot of work in front of you, and you will need every help you can get, starting with yourself.

You'll encounter quite a few formidable stumbling blocks in your journey toward fearless living. Self-compassion will make that transition easier for you, enabling you to cherish every milestone.

Practice self-care

As you progress in your journey, you will confront challenges that can be emotionally and psychologically draining.

During this journey, you might feel helpless, tired, or even more vulnerable.

To overcome these and progress further, you need to learn how to take care of yourself better. That can mean any of a few things like improving your diet, taking time to meditate, or getting good quality sleep.

Know yourself and master your emotions

A key aspect of fearless living is getting to know yourself and your emotions better.

Contrary to what some people may believe, there isn't just a handful of human emotions, like sadness, anger, or joy.

The truth is that these emotions have varying shades of degrees. The problem is that many people do not know how exactly how to label or use words to describe these nuanced emotions.

Learning how to describe your emotions is a critical step in identifying your current emotional state, and more importantly, facing your fears with courage and grace.

Detach yourself from your fear

Are you using your fear as a crutch? Over time, you may have learned to embrace and become comfortable with your fear.

Fears are useful in surviving tough situations. But once you have gone past a certain situation, there is no use holding on to your fear.

To allow yourself to let go of your fear, it is vital to see things from a different perspective, one that is different from the one that you are currently using.

To do that, you have to look inside yourself and evaluate what is objectively true and what is a sheer misconception.

Consider exposure therapy

Exposure therapies refer to various modalities designed to help people face and overcome their fears and phobias.

For example, if you are working with a therapist or life coach to overcome your fear of public speaking, he or she may ask you to start by speaking in front of a small group of friends or loved ones.

From there, you can progress to a slightly larger crowd until you become more comfortable.

Enlist the help of professionals

To master your emotions and overcome your crippling fear, you do not have to take the journey by yourself.

You can seek the help of a therapist or a life coach to help you navigate the dark realm of your fear and hold power over it, enabling you to enjoy life to its fullest.

These professionals are trained and equipped with various tools that enable you to free yourself from your fears and limiting beliefs while providing you with a structured approach on how to proceed with this life-changing endeavor.

Start living fearlessly now

There is nothing to be ashamed of about your fears. Everyone is afraid of at least one thing.

However, you should never let your fear take complete control of your life and hold you back from a life filled with happiness.

The journey may be challenging, difficult even. But if you have grown weary of missing out on things, you need to take the first step toward fearless living.