How Do I Overcome My Fears? (For young Christian Professionals)
The Webster online dictionary defines fear as an unpleasant, often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger. While normal fear protects you from danger, irrational fear hinders your growth. So, how do you overcome your fears?
As a young Christian professional, you overcome irrational fear by understanding what fear is and the type of fear you’ve got. Pinpoint the origins of your fears and the possible consequences if you don’t face them. Finally, have a guideline or a plan on how to handle it.
I have researched on your behalf, and I have come up with a detailed look at the types of common fears, why you should overcome them, and the steps to take to achieve this goal. Let’s have a look.
Types Of Fears
Change
Change is a continuous and inevitable process. you’re continuously meeting new people, going to new places, changing the environment, facing new technology, and having new experiences.
It is normal to experience fear with the change, but don’t let it overwhelm you. Understand that your body is wired for comfort. New experiences will unsettle you, and resistance is a natural first reaction. But, resisting change for no good reason causes you to miss on new opportunities in investment, career, personal growth, new relationships, and business opportunities.
As a young professional, understand that it’s natural to want to resist change. But, be aware of what you’re bound to lose in the process. Some opportunities come once in a lifetime. Before you act on your fears, take time to think, and come up with a rational decision.
Loneliness
The fear of being alone can force you to make irrational decisions in your social and professional life. It can make you enter into unhealthy relationships or stay in abusive ones. Unfortunately, this fear is ignited and fueled by societal norms or lack of self-esteem.
Understand that there is nothing wrong with being alone. Form a network of close friends and bond with your family to avoid the need to enter and remain in unhealthy relationships. At work, select your work relationships carefully, and your network either builds you or brings you down.
Failure
Failure is one of the most common fears among young Christian professionals. It’s normal to have this kind of fear because it propels you to excel in what you do. But extreme fear of not succeeding can hold you back from your dreams because it causes you to doubt your abilities and choose to be on the safe side. If you’re avoiding taking more challenging projects at work, church, or home, you may be experiencing the fear of failure.
Understand that failure is part of the learning process in your path to success. Use setbacks to your advantage and elevate your strategies and approach to life. Learn the lessons and implement them on your next project. Remember, if you fear to fail, you’ll not try, if you don’t try, you’ll never learn, and if you never learn, you’ll never succeed.
Rejection
The fear of rejection prevents you from trying new things. You fear making friends, entering into new relationships, asking for that promotion, or applying for that job you’ve been dreaming of for years.
Think of the friends you’d have made if you’d said hi, the dream job you missed because you were afraid to apply, the relationship you’d be having if you’d aired your feelings. The list is endless.
Your fear doesn’t originate from your inabilities but from the thought of not being accepted. You’re missing out on new friends, career growth, and new relationships.
Understand that you can never fit in all situations. But that doesn’t mean you can’t try. Ask yourself what’ll happen if you succeed in getting the job or getting new friends into your network.
Rejection isn’t a bad thing either. The universe has a way to align us with our purpose. It’ll bring the right people and opportunities into your life and prune out what is not necessary. Some openings and people come for a season to fulfill a purpose and clear your path.
The possibility of rejection shouldn’t hold you back from your purpose. Be comfortable to handle rejection when it comes, and don’t hold it against yourself.
Success
This may sound a bit off, but sometimes you’re held back for fear of success. You’ve no idea how to handle success, and the thought of it scares the hell out of you. You’re afraid of the responsibilities that come with it; the meetings, the limelight, the complaints, the criticism, and the emails.
Name that responsibility associated with the success that scares you the most. Plan to outsource that responsibility or have a partner who can handle it. By having the right measures in place, you’ll be able to cross that bridge when the time comes.
Uncertainty
Not knowing what is ahead or what the outcome will be in a situation is unsettling. Unfortunately, as a young Christian professional, uncertainty can hold you in a state of limbo and indecisiveness. It’s a good thing to hesitate when situations are not definite, but you can’t remain in this state for long.
Life doesn’t reward long periods of hesitation. At one time or another, you’ll have to make a decision. Gather enough information to enable you to make a decision and move forward.
Fear of the unknown
The fear of the unknown is common in young Christian professionals. If you find yourself contemplating the things that are likely to go wrong all the time, you need to stop yourself. This is a recipe for mental fear creation. Don’t forget those good things that happen in life.
Be more positive about life. If A situation has not killed those who have gone there before, why should it kill you? Imagine the success you’ll have if you enlarge your comfort zone. Master the courage to try new things but be rational.
Getting hurt
You can’t avoid being hurt as long as you’re alive. Families fail us, friends, employees, church members, employers, and your government as well. You can’t make progress if you’re constantly worried about being hurt. You risk missing out on healthy and happy relationships.
It is good to be cautious, but don’t build high walls around yourself. Remember, if no one can get in, you can not get out either. And out there is where your destiny lies.
Being judged
My grandfather once told me that every person you come across will always have an opinion about you. You’re being judged every day whether you take action or not. Is The fear of being judged holding you from your dreams?
The world is very judgmental, unfortunately, and social media doesn’t make it any better.
People will always have an opinion about you, and they’ll have something to say about it. Be true to yourself, and live your purpose. It’s better to give people something to say than having them form opinions about you.
Inadequacy
Everyone goes through the fear of inadequacy because no human is perfect. You’ve weaknesses just like anybody else, only that your weaknesses are unique to you. But you can overcome some weaknesses through learning.
Learn and master yourself. Know your strengths and your weaknesses. Thrive on your strengths, and learn to overcome your weak points. Don’t let your self-doubt hold you from pursuing your dreams. And remember, everyone has a weakness.
Loss of freedom
Sometimes you may fear losing your freedom if you choose a certain path. For example, if you get married, you’re bound to lose a certain degree of self freedom. You’re now accountable to someone other than yourself. If you get employed, your time and movement are restricted. This kind of freedom loss may hold you from following some of your dreams.
Think long term as a young Christian professional. Are you choosing instant gratification in exchange for short term benefits? Critical thinking will help you make a sound decision. If you choose your freedom over employment, what are the long term consequences? Are you comfortable living with that?
Why Should I Face My Fears?
Extreme fear limits your progress in life; facing it opens endless doors and opportunities to boundless success.
Separate fact from fiction
Sometimes the fear within is imaginary, you are afraid to perform well on a task, or you won’t get a promotion because you think your manager or colleagues don’t you. But when you face those fears, you learn that your fears are falsely founded. Your colleagues or your managers may like you more than you think. The same applies to all your networks, your family, friends, and church members.
While some fears are well-founded, others are creations of our imagination. Face your fears to be able to separate fact from illusion.
Helps you to respond rationally/ appropriately
When you face your fears, you’re able to come up with a plan to respond appropriately to a situation. Let’s say you’re afraid of losing your job because your company is not doing well. You can either come up with a plan to increase the revenue of your company, seek employment in another establishment, or start your own business.
Develop Confidence
Confidence is a learned skill that you achieve by facing your fears. If you once feared doing a project or presentation, and you did it anyway, you develop the courage to face the next one. With time you’re more confident to handle more challenging projects.
Go on and face those fears; the world is for you to conquer.
Become knowledgeable
To overcome some of your fears, you’re pushed to learn more about your challenges and how to overcome them. In the process, you gain more insight and knowledge, which you can pass on to others.
You’ve got a chance to become a subject matter expert in an area when you face your fears. And before long, you’ll be sought after by your colleagues, church members, or companies that may need your expertise.
Become compassionate
When you face your fears and overcome them, you become more understanding to those in a similar situation. As a young Christian professional, you understand the fear associated with being new in the workplace, and you’re able to help new members on board.
It also helps you become a good team player. You’re more understanding of your colleagues. If they have challenges on a project, you’re able to help them through. And without a doubt, you become a great leader you’re able to lead your teams through their fears and challenges for optimal performance.
Flexibility
When you face your fears, you become resilient and adapt easily to tough situations. You take up more challenging projects, you handle disappointments with grace, and are ready for career advancement.
Expand your comfort zone
Facing your fears enables you to expand your comfort zone. You’re able to grow and achieve more. Your chances of success are higher as you get exposed to more opportunities.
What Steps Can I Take To Overcome My Fears?
Now you know the type of fears that are possible in your life and their consequences. How do you overcome your fears?
Understand and embrace fear
Fear is a good thing because it alerts you of unfamiliar territories and triggers your protective mechanism. But, when it becomes a weapon of self-distraction, you need to face it and overcome it.
Name your fear
It is easy to overcome an enemy that you know. Identify your fears and how it hinders your progress. Find its origin, get a plan in motion, and attack it by the roots.
Do not act on impulse
When your body is in a state of fear, there is a tendency to act on impulse. Resist the urge to act without critical thinking. Take time and bring your mind back to the rational you who can make sound decisions. You’re bound to make fatal mistakes when your mind is in a high state of fear.
You can make mistakes in investment because of the fear of missing out. You can miss opportunities because you didn’t take time to evaluate those opportunities. When you’ve time, sleepover things, consult and then decide.
Think long term
Visualize how acting on your fear today is going to affect you in the long term. Are you going to miss a career opportunity or a chance to be a better person? Is it going to cost you a business opportunity, become a good father or mother? What is the cost of acting on your fears in the long term?
Taking time to reflect on your long term benefits or loss, will give you the courage to face and overcome the fears. It’s not going to be easy, but it’ll give you a reason to keep moving.
Practice or role-play
If you’ve got an upcoming interview, presentation, or speech to give and fear is coming your way, practice, or role-play the part. Find someone and do a mock interview, if possible someone, who’s an expert in this area. You will gain more insight into what is expected of you in an interview, and you’ll be more at ease with interview setups. Do this as often as possible until you’re comfortable.
Do the same thing for presentations and speech. If you can’t get an audience, try recording yourself or stand in front of your mirror and give your speech. Try with a smaller audience and build your way up with time if you want to build your career around public speaking.
And finally, do your research well and have as much information as possible concerning your interview, speech, or presentation. What unsettles many young Christian professionals, is not the act but the fear that they’ll mess up due to a lack of information or facts. Having your facts in place gives you the confidence to face the task ahead.
Educate yourself
Lack of information causes you to fear to take action. You dread making mistakes in your project, new career, or new position. You turn down opportunities and get stuck in the same position day in and day out.
Educate yourself in areas that are of interest to you. Enroll yourself in a college or take online courses in anticipation of upcoming opportunities. Don’t wait for an opportunity to start learning, let openings find you learned and ready.
Take advantage of peer pressure
Some fears you can’t overcome by yourself. Do you remember somethings you never thought you’d do, but did because you were in a group of friends who cheered on? Well, that’s the power of group support.
Find a group of people who’re good at what you fear and are ready to support you overcome your challenges. You can find these groups in your locality or online. Some of the famous groups are Toastmasters international that can help you overcome the fear of public speaking.
Name your fear and go in search of support. Support groups not only help you overcome your challenges, but they also make you grow as you explore your potential. There is a sense of safety in groups, and the thought that someone has your back gives you more courage to take action. It is easier, for example, to invest in large projects as a group when you’re starting in this area.
Visualize success
The power of visualization can dispel the fear of failure. Have a mental picture of you as the CEO, the church choirmaster, the leader coach. The more you visualize success, the more you are to act toward achieving that goal.
Ge help
Don’t hesitate to reach out and get help to overcome your fears. There are people and organizations out there willing to help. Some may come at a cost, but you’ll be surprised at the number of people or organizations that can help you for free.
Befrienderskenya is an NGO that offers free support to those in distress and danger of suicidal tendencies. There are public speaking support groups across the world that you can check out as well. Once you identify the help you need, it’s easier to look for a support group that can help you.
Practice positivity
Some irrational fears are born out of imagination fuelled by the media that we consume or from the people we hang around. If we let our imagination run wild, it can generate fears that are unreal and overwhelming.
To shield yourself from this kind of emotional damage, train your mind to think positively, feed your mind with positive media, and surround yourself with people who emit positive energy. Recite positive affirmations when negative thoughts of defeat encroach your mind. Positive affirmations have the power to dispel irrational fears.
Be willing to either try again or have a different strategy when things don’t work out as they often will. Be motivated by those who have made it and have a positive attitude towards life. If things don’t work out today, they’ll work out tomorrow. If this strategy didn’t work out, try out another one.
Release control
Some situations are beyond you, beyond human capability. When you find yourself in such circumstances, try not to take control. Whatever you do will not change the situation, and it’ll make you desperate and more fearful.
Learn to discern situations that are within your control and those that are beyond you. For circumstances beyond you, let go and do something that can make your situation better. Weather situations, job loss, and economic recession are some examples of circumstances beyond human control. But, there is something you can do to make your situation better instead of trying to fight an occurrence.
Be comfortable being uncomfortable
Trying new things is exciting but uncomfortable for some. But this is also where your success lies. Take time and explore the area beyond your comfort zone, and you’ll be surprised by the gold mine that lies there. The skills you never knew you had, the courage you never dreamt you can master. In short, be prepared to be comfortable being uncomfortable, or else you’ll never try anything, and you’ll never know what you could’ve become.
Final Word
Fear is a good thing because it protects you from danger. But it also causes you to miss out on many opportunities by holding you back from taking steps that make you better.
For you to become successful emotionally, health-wise, mentally, spiritually, and physically, you need to understand the type of fear you’re facing. Understand how the fear hinders your progress and come up with a strategy to face it.
What is the fear that you’re facing right now? What are you doing to overcome it?
Let us know in the comments below.
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