Do Something That Scares You Every Day

Fear is one of the forces that lead us to undertake great defense works or to enslave ourselves,  to build mechanisms to take care of ourselves, or to isolate ourselves and put up a wall in front of the world. So you must conquer fear, face it head-on so that it doesn’t get out of control. Follow this proposal: do something that scares you every day.

It is very likely that the people who love you will not invite you to do this in order to protect you. In fact, they will often try to persuade you not to expose yourself, not to take risks, and not to experience the discomfort of facing fear.

They do it in good faith. Fear is not exactly a pleasant feeling, although today there are many people addicted to risk. Under normal conditions, we feel it as a worry that we try to get rid of as soon as possible. The downside is that we end up building lifestyles that keep us stagnant.

Get out of your comfort zone to overcome fear

The comfort zone is anywhere we have everything under control easily. It’s another way of naming routine, the known, the familiar and, therefore, what invites us to remain afloat, without challenging ourselves, without growing, without moving forward.

Of course, it ‘s very healthy to have comfort zones. Physical and emotional spaces that allow us to let go of worries and turn off the switch to make decisions and enjoy the little things, with no other pretense than being at ease. These spaces are absolutely necessary to digest experiences, assimilate them, and to rebalance ourselves.

What happens is that sometimes they also act as bubbles that end up separating us from enriching experiences. They act as shelters for those who never want to go out again. They help keep fears at bay, even those that we would have to face and overcome in order to grow or to lessen suffering. So when they tell you: do something that scares you, basically what they do is invite you out of your comfort zones.

Fear is everywhere

Fear, in principle, is valid as a preservation mechanism. When it grows in excess, it starts to invade people’s souls. It has its own dynamic: it feeds itself. Fear tends to increase, to grow on its own. If you don’t impose a limit, it can increase disproportionately.

We all need a little fear to live, but we are also in danger of succumbing to it, which often happens imperceptibly. You are afraid of public speaking and build a life in which you will never have to, or avoid any situation that leads you to face it. Sounds logical. What is not logical is that maybe you are giving up small and big opportunities, just because of that fear.

This is also the case with more relevant issues, such as suffering. You are afraid of suffering and so forgo beautiful life experiences to protect yourself. Or you are afraid of loneliness and abandon your freedom so as not to expose yourself to it.

do something that scares you

The bottom line is that there is no other way to overcome fear than to face it. It also begins to operate a dynamic in which the more you face it, the more capable you feel and the braver you become. Courage also nourishes itself.

Also, by overcoming fear, you  start to discover other aspects of yourself, confidence and self-esteem increase. It feels good to be able to push those limits. But of course, in fear, there are levels. You can’t start with what terrifies you the most, because maybe you’re not ready, and instead of nurturing your courage, you might end up more scared than when you started.

So that’s how effective it can be to do something that scares you daily. For that, we can start with small fears. For example, if we are afraid of the dark, we can spend a few minutes in total darkness, and come out on the other side a little stronger. Or simply walking a little along a path that we don’t know and that doesn’t inspire confidence.

It is you, and you alone, who know where to start. Are you excited to try?