How to overcome your fears (a life coach´s guide)

Here, we will learn how to overcome the fears that are stopping us from living a life we love. If you feel too scared to do the things that YOU DREAM about in YOUR life – this is the content for you.
Do you feel ready to free yourself from the fears that are limiting you in your life? Whether it’s a fear of failure, rejection, or a fear of change –  today is when we learn to overcome it!

Different dreams, same fears

We all have dreams of what life could be like, and we all have fears that limit us in some ways. The main difference between truly happy and successful people and, well the rest of us, is that some people know how to break free from their fears – and live their dreams anyway. 

We do not all dream about the same things in life. Not all of us dream of living our life as astronauts, dentists, dog walkers, piano players, life coaches, songwriters, tea lovers, vegans, writers, or dancers. We love different things in life.
Parallel to that, we all have fears. Our fears are shaped and reinforced throughout our individual life experiences and may therefore vary from person to person. Even the exact same fears can be perceived with greatly different intensities. 

Sometimes the fears align perfectly to successfully limit the person’s sense of ability to live their dreams. 

The Guide to overcoming your fears
No matter how your fears are limiting you to love living, you will now get the tools to learn how to overcome your fears in life. Make of it what you will, and remember to take what resonates and save the rest for later!  

Grab a pen and paper, or bookmark this for later; this is an actionable and practical (no bullshit-kind of) guide. Now that we’re ready, let’s dive right in:

How do you overcome fear?

Step #1:
Become aware of your fear

– Notice (At the moment you feel scared)
The first step to change is always awareness. In order to transform something, we first need to know what to transform. Practice stopping yourself at the moment you BECOME AWARE and NOTICE that you are either: feeling scared, or: actively engaging with fearful thoughts. 

The more you practice stopping yourself in the present moment to identify your thoughts and emotions, the stronger this habit grows. After some practice, you will have an automated habit of becoming aware of your thoughts and emotions, allowing you to ACT instead of REACT in your life. Because of this, your fears will no longer have control over you, and you will have learned how to successfully overcome your fears throughout your life.

– Reflect (When do you feel límited by your fear?)
In which type of moments do you feel too scared to take action, even though you really want to? Or too scared to take action in the way you would want to?

Step #2:
Meet your fear

(‘meeting’ instead of ‘confronting’ because of the potentially negative associations.

We are meeting our fear in 3 steps:
– Learn
– Challenge
– Shift

LEARN
With an open mind and a curious attitude, we aim to learn more about our limiting fears by reflecting on questions like:
– What is the fear about?
– Where did it come from?
– Why is it there?

CHALLENGE
Constructively challenge the fear from different perspectives through questions such as:
– Is the fear realistic?
– What value does this fear add to my life?
– How does this fear limit me from living the life I dream about?
– Is this fear necessary for me to continue carrying in my life?

SHIFT
Shift your attention to a more constructive focus, by asking yourself what you´d rather want:
– What would (/will) my life be like without this fear?
– What would I want to feel instead of fear?
– Could I allow myself to align my focus with [desired emotion] now?
(- or is something else limiting me at this moment?)

You can always use this tool to reflect on your fearful limitations, or notice at the moment you feel limited by fear.

How to overcome your fears – the guide summarized:

Here is the summarized guide for you. Take this tool with you and use it whenever needed. Now that you understand how to overcome your fear, practicing it is the only way to make transformation happen in your life.

1. Become aware of your fear by NOTICING or REFLECTING

2. Meet your fear in 3 steps: 

• LEARN from your fear
  Understand it to expand from it.
  
• CHALLENGE your fear
  Reject false limitations to liberate yourself
  
• SHIFT your state
  Use your body, breath, and voice to create energy (through movement and intensity).

Comment to share any questions you have, and suggestions for other topics you´d like to learn more about.
Ready for more personal growth on your terms? Keep exploring the blog to find more valuable resources.