Fear. It can paralyze you, and it can consume you. It can further make you feel out of control, overwhelmed, and straight-up upset.
For some, they can even struggle to leave their home due to fear of the outside world.
Now, maybe your fears aren’t quite as severe. Yet, to overcome fear could lead to an array of opportunities and experiences that you feel you’re missing out on, or at the very least, not fearing that “thing” could substantially improve your life.
So, what can you do to overcome fear?
In this article, we’re going to dive into exactly what is happening in the state of fear and how you can use five powerful coping skills to overcome it and convince your brain you’re safe.
Anxiety and fear tend to go hand-in-hand. When you fear something, anxiety can build, leading to dysfunction in certain parts of your life. And fear isn’t useless. In fact, it can be really useful.
For our ancestors, fear was ultra-useful. In many ways, it was a means of survival. Fear is essentially an emotional response to something or someone that seems dangerous.
It’s telling our bodies to get the heck out of there!
For example, fear drives you to run away from that bear when you need to. It helps you get to safety so that you survive. This is basically the sole purpose of fear: survival.
And fears can actually be really healthy. For example, if you don’t know how to swim, being afraid of deep water makes sense. If you fall in, you could end up in a pretty dangerous situation.
Then… there’s those other times where fear just isn’t helping you. In many cases, it can hinder you. For example, being scared of public speaking is common, but it often only adds stress to a person’s life.
And then… fears can develop into phobias. Phobias happen when you’ve had an intense fear reaction. The amygdala in your brain actually keeps track of these reactions.
And when that circumstance, object, animal, or person appears again, your amygdala triggers the fear response.
Again, this comes back to survival. You live and learn what is safe and not safe. Yet, the brain doesn’t always understand that certain things aren’t always unsafe. And this is where overcoming your fears is useful.
Fear is different from anxiety since:
They are both very similar though. And in different circumstances, both can be useful or not.
The goal is learning how to control your fear with coping skills. These mechanisms can also be useful as coping skills for anxiety, helping you lead a more calm and peaceful life.
Related Article: 7 Easy Ways to Stop Anxiety & Chronic Stress From Ruining Your Life
Basically, finding a coping mechanism for fear comes down to convincing your brain you feel safe.
Your brain needs to know it’s in control, or at the very least, that you have control over something in your life.
So, next time you are feeling scared, trying using these coping skills:
This means taking deep belly breaths.
This naturally calms your nervous system, signaling to your brain that you’re a-okay. In fact, studies show that this is really all about controlling your breathing.
In turn, you are telling your brain and body that everything is okay and you are in control, rather than simply letting fear take you on a wild ride.
Visualization is a powerful technique that you can use to achieve a lot in your life, including letting go of fear.
The goal here is to engage as many senses as possible to really make the place feel real.
These are all important questions to fill in the blanks to so that you can truly calm yourself and your mind through this visualization technique.
Related Article: Are You Wondering How to Practice Visualization Techniques? We’re Here to Help You
Logic trumps our feelings every single time.
Your feelings are real. But you control your thoughts and behaviors, and you can easily do this by examining the facts.
For instance, if you’re scared of heights and standing on the edge of a cliff about to jump into the water but are paralyzed, think about it.
These are all good things to measure and examine before letting fear control your actions.
The truth is that we can never truly control everything.
Try to accept this at times and divert your attention elsewhere. Remember, fear is useful sometimes. Our brain can easily trick us into thinking we might die if we step outside of our homes but we know this isn’t true. At the same time, we know it’s not not true and that there is some risk.
Control what you can, let go of what you can’t.
This combines a few of the coping mechanisms above.
So, fear has taken its hold. You feel it’s all-consuming. Here’s what you can do right away:
Babe Ruth once said, “Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.”
Gain back control over your fears.
It’s entirely possible. They don’t need to rule your life. In fact, you have much more control than you might think. Take it and use the above coping mechanisms to help you do so. You are more than the fear you feel!
Read Next: How to Calm Fear While Waiting for Test Results
Editor's note: This article was originally published Jan 29, 2022 and has been updated to improve reader experience.
LATEST
July 13, 2025
July 13, 2025
CATEGORIES
Wake up to dailymotivation!
Get Motivational Quotes, Affirmations, and insightful content delivered to your inbox every morning!
Session expired
Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.
Thank you
They are really appropriate for sober living, hrlpful as theyb are. Thank you so much.
I can't thank you enough for sending me these Daily Motivations each day. For some reason, however I'm feeling, your DMs address the particular feelings I've woken up with. My outlook changes almost immediately. 🙂
We love to hear that Michelle! Thank you for the positivity 🙂
Thanks for all your daily motivational words.
I thoroughly enjoy reading these daily motivational words. Please don’t send me anymore for the next month as I will not be able to cope with the daily reading for a month. I want to go back and read them all over again.
Thanks
you are great--thank you so much- may the universe give you blessing for work-
I have enjoyed reading your daily motivations. On some days they really speak to me & its as if they know where I am that day. I bought a 2nd hand printer hoping I can put them in a folder for me to review when I’m having sleepless nights.Thanks so much!
That's wonderful Mae! We're so happy to be here for you. Take care 🙂
I like reading the daily motivational you write. Some make a personal point and some need to explain. When you speak of the fear of a person. That is personal to them and if it's not what they fear it is not of them. I wouldn't jump out of a plane because that's for those who want to jump. I walk in many lanes meaning I can do a lot of things given the ability to accomplish them.
Absolutely Donna, that's a good way to look at it. Everyone will get different meaning, depending on where they are at in their journey, or even in their day. Thank you for your support!
Endings are real new beginnings...
In spite of that pain, hope and excitement are in the air....
That's a great way to look at life Naomi. One chapter closes and a new one begins...what will you write on this new leg of your journey? 🙂