Fear Fighting

When I was still working in Jakarta, I used to take a walk outside my office building during break time to get some fresh air.

One day during my walk, I inadvertently woke up a dozen or so stray dogs. They started barking and moving towards me. I was terrified and felt paralysed. Not knowing what to do I just gave them my death stare and yelled, “Don’t you dare touch me!” I was ready to accept my fate but it turned out that my outburst worked. Their barks faded and they moved on. I learnt an important lesson from that encounter – fear kills and courage prevails. It is not about the obstacle in front of you but rather whether you are willing to make a decision for yourself.

I learnt an important lesson from that encounter – fear kills and courage prevails. It is not about the obstacle in front of you but rather whether you are willing to make a decision for yourself.

Here are my biggest fears and how I work on overcoming them.

• Fear of failing. I have missed many opportunities because of this fear and ended up paying a higher price as a result. Now, I have etched into my mind the will to succeed, to face the task set for me. And accept that if I do not succeed now, I will do so later!
• Fear of losing. I have feared losing my loved ones and my safety net. This fear is hard to overcome but I have come to terms with it. The only constant thing in life is change and I have learnt not to take things for granted anymore and be more grateful and appreciate what I have today.
• Fear of getting sick. Getting really sick is such an awful experience. You feel helpless and out of control. To prevent this happening again, I exercise, run, cycle and practise yoga asana. I watch my diet although I do give myself occasional treats every now and then.

I am convinced that drugs will only alleviate fears temporarily, in an emergency. They do not help on the long run but might even make your fears bigger. Facing your fears head on is the first step of learning to overcome them.