Fear and insecurity can eat you up if you don’t deal with them. Because it is primarily an inward battle, you must learn how to deal with it internally.
It is normal to feel fear and insecurity at some point in your life. While these feelings usually come and go, some people get overwhelmed. At times, it could affect their overall well-being and self-esteem.
If you struggle with handling your fear and insecurity, know that you are not alone. At the same time, however, you should also exert effort to fight it. Being victorious over them and managing them requires intentionality.
What are fear and insecurity?
Before digging into the effects of fear and insecurity and some ways to handle them, it is essential to know what both are.
Though connected mainly with each other, fear and insecurity are two different things.
Fear is a primitive and natural human emotion that all people experience at some point. It is a feeling that communicates a particular danger or threat, whether psychological or physical.
Inadequacy and uncertainty both capture insecurity. Unfortunately, several people who battle insecurity feel they are not good enough in a particular area. This could lead to anxiety regarding situation handling, relationships, and goals.
What fear and insecurity can do to your well-being
Both fear and insecurity can impact one’s overall well-being.
Fear, for one, may disturb processes that go on inside one’s brain. These processes refer to emotional regulation, understanding non-verbal hints, thinking before doing, and behaving ethically and morally. Because fear disrupts this, one’s decision-making and thinking can be affected in negative ways.
On the other hand, a person’s functioning and opportunities may be affected when a person struggles with insecurity. For one, if the insecurity is extreme to the point where the person finds it hard to convey their accomplishments and abilities, they may miss the chance of getting promoted. In such a case, the insecurity can get nurtured even more because of perceived incompetence.
While it is safe to say that people experience fear and insecurity at some point in their life, not everyone gets paralyzed by it. Regardless of how severe the case is, people need to learn how to manage fear and insecurity to ensure that such conditions do not rob them of their lives.
While there may be overlaps, these conditions are entirely different. That being said, both fear and insecurity can be handled differently.
Some tips for handling fear
Pause
Take a break to ground yourself.
Breathing exercises
There may be times when your reaction to fear could be very physical, with short breaths and heart palpitations. In such a case, regular and steady breathing exercises can help.
Challenge the thoughts
Fears are not always rational. However, you can try to battle the idea and counter it with evidence.
Express your fears
Talking about anxiety can be a very cathartic and relieving experience.
Tips for handling insecurity
Face your feelings
Running away from them won’t erase them.
Challenge your thoughts
Sometimes, negative reviews need a little challenging.
Celebrate your progress
Milestones are not always significant. Take time to appreciate your small steps of growth.
Do positive self-talk
Your tone and the things you say to yourself can primarily affect how you see yourself. Learn to be kind to yourself.
Though it may be hard for some, you can fight fear and insecurity. Both of these conditions do not have to eat away at your life.
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