Today’s topic is going to be very interesting. We’ll be exploring how to overcome fear from a completely different angle. This article will be useful not only for those who are afraid to go to the gym but also for anyone whose fear is holding them back from overcoming other obstacles in life. Fear of the unknown. Fear of losing a job. Fear of death. And this is just a small fraction of the fears that can shake your confidence. In short, if the ancient Chinese wisdom “nissi” isn’t helping you, then this article is for you.
First, we need to understand what fear is and what function it serves (why do we need it?).
What is fear?
Fear is, first and foremost, an emotion (an instinctive process) that developed during evolution as a DEFENSE mechanism, protecting the body from various dangers of primitive life and increasing its chances of survival.
In the past, all of human nervous activity was expressed through very simple and specific interactions with the external environment and other animals, which always required the involvement of the MUSCULAR system.
In other words, our distant ancestors had to either run away from an enemy or fight them. This is why, as a result of natural selection, FEAR BEGAN TO TRIGGER certain reactions in the human body that improved blood flow to the muscles and mobilized all of the body’s energy resources.
Fear emerged to HELP our ancestors quickly FOCUS before a fight, so they could either get away from danger as fast as possible or give a good beating to the attacker.
Is this the only benefit that the body gets from fear in critical situations?
The Benefits of Fear
Fear primarily MOBILIZES A PERSON’S STRENGTH for further active actions (to run or to fight). A sufficient dose of adrenaline is released into the bloodstream, which improves the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles.
Adrenaline, in turn, “diverts” blood from the skin and stomach and delivers it to your muscles, which is why when you feel fear, you might experience a peculiar “chill” or, as it’s often said, a “knot in your stomach.”
Interestingly, in our ancestors, hair standing on end due to fear also served as a protective mechanism (it could scare off an attacker).
Secondly, in fear, you BETTER REMEMBER dangerous or unpleasant events. This is also explained by the fact that the body remembers what to avoid or recalls the actions you took when you experienced a certain fear.
Smart folks in white coats conducted experiments on rats and found that animals quickly learn to avoid what they previously feared or what caused them pain and suffering.
Therefore, fear is also a MEANS through which our body learns to avoid potentially dangerous situations.
Another useful function of fear is when there is not enough information to make a well-considered and thoroughly thought-out decision, fear DICTATES OUR BEHAVIORAL STRATEGY.
This function is highly inefficient, but it can prevent missing a truly important signal (circumstance), the neglect of which could cost you your life.
So, the useful functions of fear are:
- It mobilizes a person’s strength.
- It helps better remember dangerous or unpleasant events.
- In unclear situations, it dictates a behavior model to help find a solution.
How Fear Works
What happens in our body when we experience fear? First of all, the body immediately activates the sympathetic nervous system, which mobilizes energy resources and adjusts the functioning of all systems and organs to prepare for physical activity.
As a result, the heart rate increases (“heart sank into your boots”), pupils dilate (“eyes wide with fear”), the activity of digestive glands slows down (“mouth went dry with fear”), and so on.
The endocrine system is also activated, releasing adrenaline (“the fear hormone”) into the bloodstream. Adrenaline, in turn, constricts the blood vessels in the skin (“face turned pale with fear”) and starts to act like the sympathetic nervous system, replicating its functions.
Why Fight Fear?
Why should we fight fear if, from a biological standpoint, it has so many benefits? It’s simple. The fact is that over time, many social and cultural norms have entered our lives.
Since our habits and instincts can only change after thousands of years, we are still governed by the same emotions (instincts) as primitive people. This means that there is no longer a reason to fear many things that our ancestors were so afraid of.
For example, it makes sense to fear snakes, but why be afraid of harmless spiders? Or it may be reasonable to fear lightning, but there’s no point in fearing thunder, as it cannot cause harm on its own.
Nevertheless, many people are afraid of things that are not actually dangerous, but which our ancestors feared because it is ingrained at a genetic level.
It’s important to understand the difference between FEAR and PHOBIA. A phobia is an irrational fear, meaning the fear of something that is not potentially dangerous to your life or social status. For example, the fear of confined spaces (claustrophobia), the fear of darkness (nyctophobia), or the fear of public speaking, etc.
According to American scientists, the prevalence of such disorders (phobias) ranges from 2 to 9%. Moreover, they typically affect people of the most productive age—between 25 and 44 years old.
As I mentioned earlier, many fears that our ancestors experienced have lost their adaptive significance (usefulness for interacting with the external world), which is why the negative impact of fear is much broader than the positive.
Fear limits our activity and can even temporarily paralyze us, and a constant or prolonged state of fear (anxiety) can lead to many diseases, such as coronary heart disease, arterial hypertension, etc. Remember the saying, “All illnesses are from nerves”? And “nerves” refer to a state of anxiety (a manifestation of fear).
I think it’s clear why it’s necessary to know how to overcome fear.
How to Overcome Fear
Many people, instead of learning how to conquer fear, simply run away from it. I hope you understand that this is not a solution. Over time, this habit becomes ingrained, and you simply become someone who just reacts to external circumstances.
The first and one of the most important points is that YOU NEED TO DEVELOP COURAGE! Since fear is an emotion (an instinctive process), you can only influence it with your mind. Courage is a skill of the mind that can be trained, much like muscles that are strengthened through strength training. But more on that later.
Now, I’ll give you a clear algorithm on how to overcome any fear:
- Understand what your real fear is (not a phobia).
- Think about the benefits you’ll gain by overcoming your fears.
- Learn as much as you can about your fear and the experiences of others.
- Create a hierarchy of your fears.
- Develop courage and gradually increase the challenge.
That’s all you need to do to overcome fear. Not quite clear yet? I understand. Let’s take a closer look with a specific example.
Many people have written to me saying that it’s not that they don’t know where to start with gym training, but that they’re simply afraid to go there.
Well, this is more than justified, because it forces you to do a series of unfamiliar actions, meaning there is a “fear of the unknown.” Let’s use this example to apply my algorithm, and you’ll see how to overcome any other fears.
So, let’s start with the first point. Let’s assume you’ve figured out what your phobias are (i.e., things that don’t pose real harm to your health or social status) and what your real fears are. We’ve already decided that you’re afraid to go to the gym. Great, you have recognized the problem.
Now you need to think about the benefits you’ll get from going to the gym. There are plenty! A beautiful body, self-confidence, strength, a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, winning the heart of your beloved, and much more. Great, now you understand what benefits you’ll gain.
Why is this important? Because our body is designed in such a way that it doesn’t like to do things that aren’t beneficial. Why overcome fear if it won’t bring any benefit? You’d expend energy without gaining anything. It would be hard to motivate yourself.
Now we need to move on to the third point. That is, learn as much as you can about the gyms in your city and which of your acquaintances already go there. Or you can just read reviews on the internet; it doesn’t matter. The main thing is to MOVE toward the solution.
Inaction breeds anxiety and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, don’t sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy.
Dale Carnegie
Did you know, for example, that Dorian Yates (multiple-time world bodybuilding champion) spent 2 YEARS studying various literature before he started training in the gym so that he could start training properly? No wonder he showed unreal progress in a short time.
So, you’ve figured out which gym suits you more or less, asked others about it, and liked everything. Now you need to create a hierarchy of your fears so you can start overcoming the fear of going there.
So, write down: “I’m afraid to work out in the gym.”
Now create 10 variations of your fear and number them from the weakest to the strongest. For example:
- Approach a stranger on the street and ask what time it is.
- Meet someone you don’t know.
- Visit 5 sports nutrition stores.
- Ask a sports nutrition store clerk what supplement they would recommend for a beginner (you don’t have to buy it).
- Go to the gym and ask the administrator about membership prices.
- And so on.
And, as you understand, the last point will be: “Go to a workout in the gym.”
The idea is that, like training muscles, you need to learn to overcome difficulties from the smallest to the most challenging. This way, you train your courage! Progressive overload, friends.
Perhaps while completing your mini-tasks from the list, you’ll need to break them down into even smaller steps. There’s nothing wrong with that. The important thing is that you’re moving toward your goal and not standing still. You set the pace yourself.
You can repeat the last point on the list as many times as needed until it no longer causes discomfort.
Later, you’ll look back and smile at what you were afraid of, because in most cases, our fears are unnecessary. Especially when it comes to the gym.
There are plenty of beautiful girls there. There are interesting, proactive guys who, as a rule, will have no problem explaining what you don’t understand. It’s a pleasant working atmosphere. And don’t think that everyone is watching you. Everyone is focused on their own body and has little interest in you.
It doesn’t matter what kind of fear overwhelms you. Whether you don’t know how to overcome the fear of a fight or you’re afraid to learn how to swim, the key is to move toward solving this problem. Use the knowledge you’ve gained, friends.
Conclusion
Courage must be constantly strengthened. Remember, if you don’t train your courage, it will simply atrophy like muscles, as your body will assume you don’t need it. It reduces everything you don’t use.
Understand that fear is not an enemy. It’s a compass that points to the areas of life where you need to improve.
I hope you enjoyed the article, friends. Move forward, feel the fear, and then summon the courage to follow your dreams despite everything. This is the strength that nothing can break.
