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Overcome: (verb)
1. To get the better of in a struggle or conflict; conquer; defeat:
2. To prevail over (opposition, a debility, temptations, etc.); surmount
Life is full of things we all have to overcome. When we start out in this world we have little fear until we interact with something that causes us pain or harms us in some way. There is also the advice of parents, grandparents and other siblings that might point out things that can harm you. As we get older some of these things become deeply imbedded fears within us. Some common things are spiders, snakes, heights, fire, speaking in front of others and so forth.
We also have other fears that we equate with an item when it was a person with that item, such as knives or guns let’s say. It takes a deliberate act on your part to overcome a fear. You have to stare it in the face and keep telling yourself you can do it. I recently did that myself. For years I have been petrified of guns and some local friends all got together to go over some gun safety and to schedule a time to go out together and teach people to shoot that haven’t and refresh others that haven’t in awhile. I was a person that had never shot a gun of any kind.
I managed to go to that gun safety class to hear the do’s and don’ts of handling a gun, being around people with a gun, proper ways to hold them, terminology, and other safety tips. Afterwards, I revealed my fear to one of my friends leading the class and I broke down in tears. That entire time at the safety class I was sick to my stomach and had a dry mouth and just didn’t want to speak or do more than listen to the others. I was glad I had shared my fear with my friend because the day we went out to actually do some hands on shooting he was very patient and caring in how he dealt with my fears.
To start with he wanted to see how I reacted to hearing the weapon fire a few times to see if that bothered me. Internally I jumped but outwardly I was in control. That day I was excited to overcome this fear and I knew that the people I was with that day would understand and help me through it. They did that and more. Not only did I learn how to load, shoot and handle various weapons, I also learned that it was fun. The item in this case, which was the gun, didn’t do anything to harm me. It was in a gun case until it was needed and it was the person holding it that changed the dynamic of my fear.
Sometimes you have to take a moment and analyze why you are afraid of something. Did someone do something in your past to make you afraid? Did you get bit by a spider and get sick? Did someone turn out the lights and lock the door so you couldn’t get out? Did someone that was supposed to care for you toss you in the air and they drop you? Was it that you were told something that made you scared? In your mind that fear is totally rational. Overcoming fears sometimes trusts you to know what is best too.
What makes you afraid? Is your fear something you feel you can overcome? If not, why? Here are a few steps you can work on to see if you can overcome your fears.
1. Try to remember when you first became afraid of that item. Was it being forced in school to talk in front of the class and you were made fun of so public speaking isn’t your thing? Did your sibling toss a spider on you and the realization something was on you freak you out and you reacted? Figure out the trigger and the first time you became afraid.
2. Was there another person involved to cause you to be afraid? It takes a person holding a gun and doing something with it to make you afraid of a gun. It’s just an object that does nothing until someone picks it up.
3. Is it because you have never done it before? Some things are due to lack of experience and we get the butterflies, sweats and etc. when we are faced with the unknown. Others can cause us to fear experiences we haven’t done due to their tall tales and stories of when they accomplished certain things.
4. Was it something that harmed you, such as fire that has you afraid of that very thing? Other things similar to this are drowning or suffocating that take place during certain harmful events. Was the item that harmed you on purpose by another or was it something you were told to avoid and you did it anyway?
Take the time to work through and overcome your fears. Some are rational and with a good reason you have them and others are more fears you need to work through because you just haven’t done them before and the unknowns of life can seem daunting, but they are things you can overcome.
Overcome some of your fears and see how you can improve your life for the better. I hope you enjoyed this blog post and will share it with others. Leave a comment below to share some of your fears and what steps you had taken or need to take to overcome them.
Have a blessed week!
