Walking the Walk Series: 4 Healthy Ways to Face Your Fears

In fact, fear helps you instinctively protect yourself from harm. Your fear might help you to recognize when you're about to do something dangerous and it could help you to make a safer choice.

But, you might find yourself fearful of things that aren't actually dangerous, like public speaking. Your fear of public speaking might prevent you from advancing in your career and that can be frustrating. If you really want to go on a vacation to Europe, but your fear of flying prevents you from setting foot in an airplane, you might feel like your fear prevents you from living your dream.

You may find that your fear holds you back or creates bigger problems in your life.

1. Should You Face Your Fear?

You don't need to conquer every fear you experience. A fear of tsunamis isn't a big deal if you live 1000 miles away from the ocean. But it may be a problem if you live on the coast and you panic every time you hear about earthquakes, storms, or high tides because you think you might be in danger.

Have an internal conversation with yourself about what your fears are stopping you from doing, and consider if it's a problem that you need to confront. Are your fears causing you to lead a less fulfilling life than the one you hoped for?

Consider the pros and cons of not facing your fear. Write those down. Then, identify the pros and cons of tackling your fears head-on. Write down what you might achieve or how your life might be different.

Reading over those lists can help you make a clearer decision about what to do next. If you decide to proceed, the best way to conquer a fear is to face your fears head-on. But, it's important to do so in a healthy manner that helps you move past the fear rather than in a way that traumatizes you.

2. Evaluate Risk Level

Sometimes, fear comes from simply not knowing very much about the thing you're afraid of. For example, you might be afraid of airplanes because it seems like you have heard about a lot of in-air incidents that lead to injury or death. However, if you look into the statistics, you might learn that the probability of death on a U.S. commercial jet airline is 1 in 7 million (in comparison to 1 in 600 from smoking).

You can also learn more about what causes those bumps and jolts during turbulence on an aircraft-it's simply the movement of air having an effect on the aircraft and, if you're buckled in properly, poses very little threat to you.

Of course, less tangible fears, such as being afraid of public speaking, don't necessarily have statistics to help you learn more about the risks you face. But you can read about people's successful public speaking ventures, or learn more about the successful public speaking strategies, to help you feel more confident.

Keep in mind that just because something feels scary, doesn't mean it's actually risky. Educate yourself about the facts and the risks you actually face by doing the things that scare you.

3. Create an Action Plan

The key to facing your fears is to take one small step at a time. Going too fast or doing something too scary before you are ready can backfire.

But it's also important to keep moving forward. A moderate amount of anxiety is good. Don't wait to take a step forward until your anxiety disappears.

The best way to create an action plan is to create a fear hierarchy made up of small steps. Here's an example of how someone might face the fear of public speaking one step at a time using exposure therapy:

• Stand in front of a mirror and give a two-minute talk
• Record yourself giving a talk and watch it back
• Practice the talk in front of a spouse
• Practice the talk in front of a spouse and family member
• Practice the talk in front of a spouse, family member, and one friend
• Practice the talk in front of a spouse, family member, and two friends.
• Give the talk in a meeting at work

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4. Seek Professional Help