I wish I could say that once you achieve your greatest goals and desires in life, you won't be burdened with terrible, negative thoughts. I hope I can. But over the years, I’ve realized that the bigger the problem, the bigger the fear and the harder it is to overcome it. Fear is

I wish I could say that once you achieve your greatest goals and desires in life, you won't be burdened with terrible, negative thoughts.

I wish I could. But over the years, I’ve realized that the bigger the problem, the bigger the fear and the harder it is to overcome it.

Fear is always present—whether we are a CEO, a successful doctor, or someone just starting a business. While fear can be good (which I'll discuss in more detail later), it acts like an invisible chain that binds us in the exhausting tug-of-war between enjoying life and living contentedly.

Two Kinds of Fear

At some point in our lives, we are taught that fear is always bad. But fear also has its benefits. Fear can prevent us from pursuing something that might hurt us, or keep us from pursuing something that might bog us down.

When used correctly, fear can aid our intuition. Fear can keep us from entering dark, dangerous alleys and complicated situations. It is the fear of disease that encourages us to eat healthily and mindfully. The fear of death causes us to spend time on the people and things that matter most. Even one of the most common fears, the fear of failure, can be a motivator that drives our work and efforts.

However, fear can also be the enemy of intuition, and when you let fear drive your intuition, it can backfire.

When fear takes over, it can prevent our own personal or professional growth by convincing our inner voice that craving more means stepping out of your comfort zone and you won't like that.

Excessive fear can paralyze us. Excessive fear of illness can actually make us sick. The fear of death can rob us of the privilege of enjoying today’s beautiful moments. The fear of failure can prevent us from pursuing what we really want in life because we feel the risk is too great.

When we focus on the negative, fear can easily overwhelm us. Fortunately, we too can have the power to conquer our fears.

Overcome Fear and Negative Thoughts:

5 Simple Ways

1/5 Make Fear Your Friend

This advice sounds decidedly counterintuitive. Isn’t it supposed to eliminate fear? Why let fear be our friend?

Telling yourself there is nothing to be afraid of is totally the same as telling yourself there is no risk, which is not true. Most of us spend a lot of time trying to eliminate fear altogether, only to end up succumbing to it. Because we want the fear to feel unreal, we get hit when we feel its reality.

Facing your fears. When we acknowledge that what we fear is real, our brains tend to switch from fear mode to action mode.

When we accept the existence of failure, our focus and determination increase.

When we accept that death is inevitable, our brains make a commitment and insist on living better and healthier lives without wasting more time worrying about it.

When we accept that we may lose what we are enjoying now, we can learn to appreciate what we have now.

2/5 Let go of the things you can’t control

The truth is, most of the time, the things we fear most are not within our control, they are overwhelming.

We can control what we eat and how we live. But the diseases that befall us are beyond our control.

We have complete control over how we plan and execute our plans. But we can't always control the outcome.

Accepting that we cannot control everything can bring us peace and calm the chaos and dark fears in our hearts. It’s possible to shift our focus from the scary things we have no control over to the clear steps we can take. When we accept that some things are beyond our control, it becomes easier to let go of unrealistic fears.

3/5 Find the root of fear

Our fears may be deep-rooted. When we are afraid of something, we are probably afraid of something deeper.

Underneath the fear of failure is the fear of being laughed at and the fear of bankruptcy.

Underneath the fear of losing the one you love is the fear of emptiness, the fear of losing the one who loves you.

A person's fear of change stems from the disappointment and pain experienced as a result of change.

When you are afraid of something, look for the source of the fear. What are you really afraid of?

Understanding our purest fears can help our minds determine what we need to do to make peace with fear.

4/5 Be more focused

Although it may sound like a cliche, not all fears are real, and it is dangerous to dwell on fears that have no basis in reality.

If you are constantly afraid of losing your job, or of losing the people you love most, you may become anxious and paranoid. When anxiety takes over us, we focus on fear instead of healthy action plans and solutions.

When you are occupied by fear, you have to focus more. Write about the worst-case scenario. Ask yourself if your fears are well founded. Develop clear action steps to help you overcome your fears.

5/5 Use fear to extrapolate

Finally, try using fear to extrapolate future situations. Have a conversation with your fears!

In fact, speaking our fears out loud can calm our emotions and stop our brains from always thinking the worst, and can also be therapeutic – it’s as if the brain starts from Crippled by fear, it becomes a tool for thinking about solutions!

So, if you feel fear taking over you, don’t just shrug it away. Use fear to infer, for example: "Okay, I know I will definitely lose, so I should... and not..., so that I won't..."!

Finally

Fear is a powerful force emotion. If used correctly, it can empower you. But when we are led by it, it can derail us. Fortunately, we always have the power to overcome fear. With the above five steps, we can slowly, surely, and calmly face our fears and reduce negative thoughts.