FEAR – Acknowledge, Replace and Overcome

"Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist. That is near insanity. Do not misunderstand me, danger is very real, but fear is a choice. We are all telling ourselves a story and that day mine changed." - Cypher Raige, After Earth

by Abigail Nimbalker

What is fear?

Whilst it is known that fear is an emotion triggered by danger, some neuroscientists found that this emotion is triggered due to our imagination of what could happen. They found that humans have the innate ability to create fear in our minds due to their ability to assess, examine and critically analyse their circumstances and surroundings. Sometimes we may even perceive certain events as negative though that may not actually be the case. I’ve been in situations where because of an overwhelming sense of fear, I feel paralysed and unable to properly function on a daily basis or for just that moment until I am able to remove myself from my “fear-triggers”.

"Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist. That is near insanity. Do not misunderstand me, danger is very real, but fear is a choice. We are all telling ourselves a story and that day mine changed." - Cypher Raige, After Earth

Overcoming Fear

I came across this statement recently which I think sums up what I do when faced with fear: “Being fearless doesn’t mean eliminating fear. It means knowing how to leverage fear.” Not liking the control or power this particular emotion has on me, I laid down a few steps for myself that have worked for me over and over again. These steps are as follows:

1. ACKNOWLEDGE – When you acknowledge or identify your fears and slowly discipline yourself to move towards it, your fears decrease as your confidence increase, soon losing its control over you. I do this by immediately contacting a close friend. Getting a third party to try to understand the situation and what you are feeling helps put things into perspective. Therefore, besides identifying your fears also identify a strong support system for yourself. You are not meant to go through this alone.

2. REPLACE - Remember that the perfect love of Jesus has an aggressiveness to drive out the Fear you are facing. Whenever faced with fear, keep declaring scripture over your life until you feel a sense of peace and His Love overwhelming you. Always remember that the only replacement for Fear is the Perfect Love of God. So imagine the fears that you face as really bad tenants in a house which is your mind and now picture the Love of God driving out these bad tenants. The Love of God serves to replace these bad tenants (Fear) with His overwhelming love and peace.

3. OVERCOME – Recording small accomplishments allow you to overcome your fears in the long run. This simple act increases your motivation, perception, sense of accomplishment and feeling of happiness. By doing this you slowly diminish the negative perception of your “fear-trigger” and create a positive connotation of that same memory, slowly relinquishing the control fear has had over you all this while.

Conclusion

Fear is a normal emotion. There is nothing wrong with feeling afraid. Just know that you can overcome it. Rome was not built in a day so give yourself the time you need to go through the process. As long as you pace yourself, have a good support system around you and are honest about when you need help, you will come out victorious! If no one else has told you this, I want you to know that I have faith in you! You got this! If you find that you can’t deal with it on your own, please do reach out to the appropriate channels and people for help. There is no shame in doing so. Ending this article with a friendly reminder that you are loved and you are not alone.

by Abigail Nimbalker

#courageouswithabby

About the Article Contributor :

Abigail Nimbalker is passionate about all things human rights and tea. Previously a community officer for a politician and currently a lawyer in the corporate world, other than her faith, it is tea that helps relief her stress. Besides advocating the benefits of tea, Abigail is passionate about seeing individuals live their best life and to one day see the world free of injustice, the greed of men and oppression. Abigail yearns for the day men and women are given equal opportunities to excel in the things they are called for, for the day voices of the young are heard and represented thoroughly and for the moment a nation soiled by the greed of men be set free.