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How to overcome fear?
Fear is often what will have prevented us from fully living our lives. Overcoming fear is therefore crucial in order to be able to make the necessary changes and accept the associated risks. However, it is essential to simultaneously work on shedding our beliefs in order not to embark on illusory paths in which we lose touch with reality, lie to ourselves, and ultimately cause serious harm to others without even realizing it.
Objective
We are not aware of any recipe to completely eliminate fear. Moreover, in small doses, fear is probably useful, as it encourages vigilance and full engagement.The goal is simply to be able to go beyond one's fear, that is, to take actions guided by reason and not by fear.
Analyzing the effects of fear
The approach we recommend is to identify the cases where fear has taken over, which can be of two types:
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Not trying, out of fear
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The final decision is the product of fear, opposing reason
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Methods for regulating fear
The techniques for reducing the level of fear are:
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Avoiding risk (inhibition, routine)
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Experimenting with minimalism (better identifying our non-essential needs)
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Compensating for fear with pleasure
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Working on your cognitive-affective system to limit irrational fear resulting from past experiences.
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Facing fear with reason
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The objective at this level is to limit the use of avoidance.
Furthermore, when fear is linked to uncertainty about the future, it is important to identify what is within our control and what is not, in order to act on what is within our control:
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The game of alliances is a source of fear, as it is unpredictable. We can opt for more sincere human relationships, though potentially less effective in terms of social advancement.
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Impermanence is also a source of fear, and the only way we have to address it is to fully live the present moment.Seeking a certain minimalism in life also helps to limit the fear of decline and more generally, anxieties about the future.
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Deepen your understanding
See the question 'Should we listen to our emotions?'.Concerning the game of alliances, refer to the questions 'What are the consequences of social ambition?' and 'How to succeed in life?'.Refer to the question 'What is impermanence?' to understand how to deal with it best, and to the question 'Why is minimalism desirable?' to understand the approach to follow and the benefits of minimalism.Finally, to understand the work to be done in addition to regulating fear, refer to the question 'How to succeed in life?'