Fears can be real or they can be something you have imagined and then
let take on a life of their own. In many instances fear may be nothing
more than a learn behavior and a set response you have to the situation.
Sometimes it isn't the object itself that causes the fear but the
situation surrounding it. You may have forgotten all about the situation
but not what you are afraid of. For example you may be afraid of clowns
but not know why. Likely you had a bad experience with one long ago
though.
It isn't uncommon for a person to block out a traumatic experience. Yet
this can lead to them having significant fears about it. Some types of
fears such as the dark can be the result of a trauma that happened in
the dark. It isn't just children that suffer from this type of fear
either. With children though the fear of the dark is more about imagined
images. With adults it is the result of some events that have taken
place in the dark.
Since fear is often a learned behavior though, you can overcome it by
changing the way you react to it. Try to dig and find out why you are
really afraid of it. Psychologists are very good at helping patients to
uncover the truth through therapy and exercises. Sometimes it is
exposing the person to that fear. For example if you are afraid of
snakes you may need to hold one in a controlled environment. Learning
all about them may help you to be less fearful as well.
If your fear is unfounded though you can also talk yourself through it.
For example you may want to remind yourself that it can't harm you and
instead of reacting as you normally do focus on your breathing. Keeping
it regulated as well as your heartbeat can help to offset the effects of
fear. If you don't let these symptoms occur they won't trigger the same
level of fear as before.
Since fear is different for each of us, there is no set formula that is
going to work well everyone. You may have to try out several approaches
before you come up with what works well for you. If you aren't able to
offset the fears on your own incorporate the help of a professional.
This way you won't need to continue spending your time fighting these
feelings.
