Fear prevents us from doing what we need or want in life. Of course, we’re not talking about helpful fear, such as performing lethal stunts or being inches from a ferocious animal. The type of fear addressed here is made up. For example, suppose you feel that you will look strange after wearing something you have never worn before or that another person will not take your ideas seriously. These are examples of times when we are afraid, but there is no real danger.

Any fear similar to this principle can crush and limit one’s life without realizing that you can overcome such a fear. This fear isn’t the end of the world for us, but we act as if looking strange in front of other people is the same as facing a hungry lion on the hunt for prey. We are the ones who generate these fearful thoughts in our minds. Most people don’t realize that we can reject them into our system if we can accept them.

One way to deal with our fears and anxieties is through exposure. You can accomplish this by confronting situations, visiting places, or exposing ourselves to things we are afraid of. Yes, it is customary to be hesitant and avoid these things but avoiding them prevents us from realizing that the things we fear are not as dangerous as we believe.

In exposure, a person is repeatedly and gradually exposed to feared situations until his anxiety diminishes and loses its power over him. Stress naturally decreases after repeated practice.