Fear! It's not always bad.
Agreed, that it makes us sad,
Sometimes even drives us mad.
But trust me it's not always bad,
If you channel it properly, it'll for sure, make you glad.
I start off with a small poem to iterate, in a fun way, that fear necessarily may not always be bad. Yes, fears are quite challenging to overcome and also scar us emotionally. But in most cases, even in yours... if you introspect and analyse, I'm sure you'll agree that the day you realised that you are giving in to fear is the day when you were actually able to overcome it.
The COVID scare is back and I see a lot of people getting emotionally drained, developing anxiety issues and even slipping into depression, expecting to relive the horrors that we had to endure in the last couple of years. So, here are a few tips to help you manage your fear, be it at academics, work or play.
Accept & Prepare
Procrastination can lead to unnecessary stress and panic and by procrastination, I mean the delay in accepting reality. By accepting reality early, our preparations also start early. When we achieve this, we feel more in control and this, in turn, makes us feel less fearful.
Set realistic goals
Setting unrealistic goals is what puts us in an anxious state to begin with and when it becomes more and more clear that the goal is unattainable, that's when fear sets in. If you have no choice but to set a big goal, rather than trying to achieve it all at once, aim to make progress by taking smaller steps instead.
Another important thing is making it a practice to celebrate your achievements along the way, it really helps in combating fear to such a level that fear is replaced with josh or drive.
Minus x Minus = Plus
This is one of my most preached and practiced method and it's pretty simple to implement too. Just like a math equation, analyse and understand that one negative outcome which is a result of your fear and how it is hampering your life. Once you've understood this, introspect and analyse that one feeling that you feel you've developed. It takes a little patience but you need to understand whether it's fear, guilt, frustration or something else entirely.
Once you're able to understand both the negative outcome (behaviour) and the negative feeling, use this awareness to give yourself positive self talk. For example, "I know this is what happened and it happened because I feel like this, this time, I'm sure I can do my best and irrespective of what happens, I'll either learn or succeed."
Pro Tip
Seek support whenever and wherever necessary. Even if you have the most stupidest of fears which might make you think that you're going to be a laughing stock, it's still fine. Identify and seek the support of those who you can trust and feel are genuine. If you're lucky, you might find a soul who's gone through the exact same thing and might help you without you having to go through the same ordeal again.
Overall, managing fear is about finding balance. A balance between accepting, acknowledging, preparing and taking care of yourself. You are important and you are the one who can make yourself feel important. Never give in to what pulls you back, instead charge ahead by understanding yourself and make your fear work for you.
With Regards,
Adarsh Benakappa Basavaraj
"Your Coach"
