Fear can hold you back in your work, your relations, and in accomplishing your goals. Review the prime fears that hold people back and distinguish which fears you're determined to overcome.
Fear of Death
And what about when it is our fear of dying that prevents us from living? It is so extreme and irrational that it even has a name and everything (Thanatophobia), which can trigger obsessive thoughts and paralyzing anxiety. According to the existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, this is due to the fact that it represents for us the most radical dimension of the unknown imaginable, "with the power to make our living bodies return to the non-human kingdom from which we originally left." And since that is the only thing we cannot control, it is better to focus on what happens here and now. Always looking for that change that will make a difference in your life to forget the fear.
Fear of Criticism
It is a fact: criticism generates feelings of sadness, anger, hurt and hurt pride, shaking us like few things in life. We all want to be accepted, loved, approved, so when criticism is directed at us (however constructive it is), we can hardly see it as anything more than disapproval for what we are or for our work. And then, how can we not fade? Start by not exalting yourself or hitting anyone, reacting warmly to the bomb that was thrown at you. Take a deep breath. Calm down. And then notice if you were furious to think that the repair was deserved and repeat a thousand times that discovering how we can improve with mistakes only makes us evolve. Above all, don't be dependent on what others think of you.
Fear of Becoming Ill
The doctor guarantees that everything is in order. The exams attest to that. So where does that back, head, stomach pain come from? That tightness in your throat and chest? In the same way that the placebo effect generates concrete relief of symptoms, negative beliefs (such as fear of falling ill) alter the brain's communication with the rest of the body, changing the biochemistry of the organism. In practice, by transferring emotional difficulties to the physical that we don't know how to deal with, not only do we lead the body to real illnesses, but we are unable to think beyond the illness we think we have - a truly disabling concern on a daily basis. If this is the case, specialist help should be sought.
Fear of Being Poor
Point one: poverty is a state of mind, just like wealth. Point two: we are not (none of us are) the money we have. This means that it is useless to work from morning to night, driven only by status and a big salary at the end of the month, if afterward we return home anguished, stressed and depressed with the person we have become every day. It also makes no sense to think that money is bad, because it is not - just don't let that make your life meaningful. When in doubt, do it like emotionally intelligent people, who often think about how grateful they are for all the good things: in addition to being more animated thanks to the reduction of cortisol (the stress hormone ) in the body, they tend to attract even more abundance for their lives.
Fear of Losing Love
It usually starts with an obsessive fear of losing the partner, of being rejected, of not being loved: it is then that the need arises to control absolutely everything the partner feels and does, and we end up, in fact, sabotaging the relationship, each time more distant from happiness. True love is not a requirement, it is trust, because controlling the life of another does not give us any guarantee that the relationship will last. And be careful, because it can be a sign that your true personality may be less important to you than the one you have built to sustain your relationship. Never, ever, be distracted from your own worth.
Fear of Aging
It is common ground: nobody wants to be old. Not only would we all go back in time if we could, but few of us will know how to grow old without the dread of loneliness, wrinkles, and physical and mental deterioration preventing us from being happy as the years go by. And this when aging is part of life and translates into greater experience, (self) knowledge, and maturity. So treat yourself. Take care of yourself as much as you can. Eat well. Practice sport. It is true that it helps to delay the effects of aging but, even more importantly, it will make you like yourself and accept yourself as you are, without putting all your cards on the surface.
