How to Be Brave in the Face of Fear

Fear is uncomfortable. Fortunately, there is an antidote to the paralysing state of fear: Bravery. Being brave is a skill that can be acquired and mastered. Learn some tips from experienced psychologists that may help you in your journey to overcome fear.

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About Fear

Fear is uncomfortable. It can lead your heart to race, your palms to sweat, your stomach to churn and your thoughts to scatter.

Fear is supposed to be protective, a warning sign to tell you to stop and think before you expose yourself to something life-threatening. It is like a smoke detector – fear doesn’t tell you that the house is burning down or if you’ve just burnt some toast. Instead, it lets you know that there is smoke. You should check it out and then decide if you have to start breakfast over or if you need to get down low and go, go, go!

Sometimes you may find the feeling of fear so aversive or overwhelming that you actively avoid doing things that have the possibility of leading you to feel afraid. You may make excuses or procrastinate, allowing the fear to build in your mind. The more you avoid instead of investigating, the more convinced your brain is that there is something dangerous that needs evading. Your brain wants you to survive this dangerous world, so it looks for more and more clues that something you fear could occur to keep you safe. Your brain starts to see signs of cataclysmic disaster everywhere – in your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings. Fear can leash you from engaging fully in life.

Bravery: The Fear Antidote

Fortunately, there is an antidote to the paralysing state of fear. Being brave is a skill that can be acquired and mastered. It’s all about learning how to tolerate the feeling of fear, to stop and consider if the house is actually burning down or if the smoke detector has just given you a bit of a fright. It is the capacity to function despite feeling afraid.

Cultivating bravery involves becoming aware of the source of your fear and anxiety and learning ways to challenge those unhelpful thoughts and patterns of behaviour. This can be achieved with the help of psychological therapy.

The following tips may help you in your journey to overcome fear.

Challenge Unhelpful Thoughts

Ask yourself: What is my brain telling me could happen here? What am I terrified of? Acknowledge that it is okay that your brain is worried, even if it seems irrational. This is because the part of your brain responsible for your fear response differs from the part that does rational thinking.

What is the evidence that this will occur? Bravery is not about jumping into every dangerous situation mindlessly. It is about being able to deal with the feeling of fear long enough to weigh up the risks and figure out if the benefits outweigh the costs.

In psychology, CBT Therapy is often used to help people identify and challenge unhelpful thinking patterns.

How to Overcome Unhelpful Thinking with CBT Therapy >
Become Aware

Start by acknowledging when you are feeling afraid and that it is okay; it is just your brain warning you to check the situation out some more.
Build Resilience

Just like fitness, bravery also requires us to build resilience. To push past barriers you may have made for yourself and to experience discomfort to get stronger.
Start Small

It also pays to start small and build momentum so the changes you are trying to make are sustainable and not overwhelming. Starting small also increases your chances of success.
Practice, Practice, Practice

Practice being brave every day. Just like any skill, you have to practice being brave. You have to work at building your tolerance to feeling fear and not having your brain meltdown on you. For example, if you suffer from social anxiety, you can use mindfulness and CBT Therapy techniques to help you engage in conversation with others.

It takes courage to try new things at first. However, with practice, you may find it easier and easier to talk to strangers at a social event. It’s a bit like working toward being able to run a marathon or lift heavy weights; the more you invest in the training, the easier it becomes, and the faster you improve.

Being brave isn’t just about jumping out of aeroplanes. It is about trying new things, being vulnerable, admitting when you’re wrong, risking making a mistake, and not avoiding uncomfortable thoughts or feelings. The more you practice being brave, the braver you become.