Fighting your fears

Fear is a natural human emotion, and it is something that everyone experiences in their lifetime. What matters most is how you fight your fears, and whether you let them affect your life.

You may not call your feeling ‘fear’. You might call it stress, worry or panic, but often, when we use these words, we are talking about the same emotion.

When you feel fear, you can experience three types of symptoms:

Unhelpful thoughts, such as thinking everyone in the room is having critical thoughts about you, or that something bad will happen.

Physical symptoms, such as a rapid heartbeat, faster breathing, sweating and higher blood pressure (your body’s ‘fight or flight’ response).

Changes in your behaviour, ranging from simple things such as avoiding a fun activity, to more serious issues like being afraid to leave your home.

The good news is there are lots of ways to help manage your fears. And lots of places to find help. Let’s start by exploring the differences between healthy and unhealthy fears.

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/Fighting-your-fears