Battling Your Fear Demons
Written by Steve Goldberg   
Monday, 30 June 2008

The voice inside your head that tells you “I can’t.” The nagging internal doubts that say “Don’t try, you might fail.” Those are thoughts and feelings holding you back from success. The good news: you can silence those thoughts and move past them.

The Brain-a Most Powerful Organ

Your brain, and you central nervous system control all of your thoughts and actions. Thoughts are closely connected to your actions. Not all actions of the body are controlled by thoughts. Some, like the beating of the heart, and breathing while you are asleep, are automatic. However, thoughts control many of our actions and also our feeling of wellbeing, each connected to the other. People who feel happy, content and in control of their actions, are more likely to achieve success and meet their goals. That is because self-talk is a powerful tool for success.

Stop Negative Thoughts in Their Tracks

The skill of stopping negative thoughts before they take over your life is called “Cognitive Defusion.” This is a process of saying the negative thought out loud until it becomes no more than a collection of sounds without meaning. That is one way to rid negative thoughts of meaning.

Another way to battle inner fear demons is to tell yourself that the negative thoughts are just thoughts and have no meaning unless you let them. This is another cognitive therapy technique. Therapists will tell people with anxiety problems (with whom cognitive behavioral therapy is often used), to pat themselves on the arm or the chest and say to themselves “I am OK. I am not in physical harm.” That is a grounding technique to bring your awareness back from the negative thoughts to yourself and your place in time. This act can activate the parasympathetic nervous system and stop your body from dumping fear-related chemicals into your body (adrenaline and cortisol).

Think Happy Thoughts


Studies have shown that if you smile, your mood will improve. The physical act of smiling activates muscles that trigger emotional responses of happiness. The opposite is true as well. If you think of something funny or peaceful, you will feel happy or content. The opposite is true as well—you can think yourself into a virtual corner of unhappiness and despair. You do have the power, whether you realize it or not, to control your thoughts and fight the fears that hold you back.

Dive Right In

Many people love scuba diving. Some avid divers experience worry and fear before and during their dives. Being surrounded by deep water, wearing heavy gear, with limited vision and communication can cause some people to panic. There is a book, Yoga for Scuba Divers, by Kimberlee and Todd Stedl, which teaches scuba divers how to use yoga to learn to control their thoughts and their breathing patterns. In scuba diving, a person’s thoughts can mean the difference between a relaxing and enjoyable dive or an untimely death. While that might sound extreme, it is true. It is possible to think oneself into such a panic that you cannot recover—if you are underwater. It is also possible to control nervous thoughts and use level-headed thinking to extract yourself from potentially dangerous situations.

At the End of the Day

During Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first Inaugural Address in 1933, he uttered the immortal words “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” America was in the midst of a deep depression. Fascist and communist regimes were taking hold in Europe. The “virus” of fear was rapidly infecting everyone around the world. Roosevelt was basically telling everyone to pull themselves up and everything would be ok. He articulated that if you give fear power, it has power, and if you don’t, it doesn’t. So, do not fear fear. Face your insecurities and keep moving!

Trackback(0)
Comments (0)add comment

Write comment
smaller | bigger

security image
Write the displayed characters


busy