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Reduce Fear by Making a Plan
Take Control and Become More Confident
Facing my fear. When it comes to fear, a snake does it for me. I am afraid of snakes, especially those thick muscular types such as the constrictors, the pythons, the anacondas, and so on. Whenever I would see them, mostly on TV screens, my control and confidence would take a dive. I want to reduce my fear of them.
But, I am so repelled by their very muscularity, strength and the way they look and move. There is nothing I like about them at all. My distaste is visceral. My reaction, irrational and the idea of facing them fills me with dread. I perceive snakes as a threat to my very existence.
And that is the key word, perceive. It’s my perception. My thought. And it is that thought that drives my fear. If I can control the thoughts, then I can control my reactions. I can be more confident that I can handle things.
Think about the what-ifs
I’m one of those people who like to be prepared. So I do think about the what-if and plan for it. For instance, when I go (pre-pandemic) to a movie theatre or any other place where there are a lot of people in an enclosed space and limited exits, I tend to scan the area first, locate all the exits and position myself in such a way that I can easily get to an exit. Same thing with being on an plane. For…
