How can we be free from fear?

Question

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Have a great day!

Answer 1

Fear is the inevitable outcome of uncertainty. Since future is always uncertain, fear can not be removed totally. It can only be tackled effectively.

Uncertainty means risk. Every risk entails opportunities as well..... just like every mistake entails an opportunity for new learning. Therefore the best way to tackle a fear is to delve deeper into the particular future uncertainty looking for the opportunity hidden therein. Converting a risk into an opportunity is the wisest way to handle fear.

The above is the positive approach to fear. There is also a passive approach. This involves controlling our own mind to get ready to accept the feared adverse event or occurrence... this frees the mind from the obsession of a fear and enables it to move on with other important tasks. Theoretically this method can remove all fears, but in practice, we can never totally control our mind to be able to accept any or all outcomes...... because that requires completely eliminating our ego which is not practically feasible... so long as ego is still there, the judgment of adverse or favorable will be made by us and the corresponding fear will arise in respect of those that are judged to be unfavorable.

Answer 2

To be free from fear you most have a willingness to understand, and a will to accept.

A person can be afraid and still be brave.

We as humans fear what we do not understand. We fear the mystery, the not knowing, the unexpected. People fear the darkness, the unseen, the unknown, but when the light is turned on you find that there was nothing there to fear in the first place.

Answer 3

Actually, on a certain level , fear is an important aspect of our lives. It's a primal instinct and alerts us when something is wrong. But, I understand your question. Some fears that people have can be overwhelming, debilitating and, " paralyze" a person, in the sense, that a person may have a fear of leaving their home ( just one example). Some fears can be overcome, if the person is aware of as to why they a certain fear. Psychotherapy ( Therapist) can,often times, help people to overcome their fear(s). It is sad when some people have fears the " cripple " them. It would be nice to eliminate certain fears but, human nature, trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome is on the rise. The soldiers fighting in Iraq are suffering from this. God Bless our Troops and others that have severe fears. Have a great day yourself !
Ruth

Answer 4

You can be free from fear by expecting the unexpected, therefore nothing will be surprising. Fear as a survival instinct can be replaced by intuitiveness, and alertness. Fine tune this to the extent when you can't be scared and you will be free of fear.

Answer 5

Fear is like stress, a little bit of it is absolutely vital for the healthy human existence and the evolutionary process. Risk is an integral part of Life - there would be no Risk Mitigation without some degree of motivational fear. Pathological fearlessness, for instance, is one of the defining characteristics of a psychopath. On the other extreme of the spectrum, dysfunctional levels of fear (as in people suffering from chronic panic disorder and such) are considered medical/psychological conditions/ailments that often require professional intervention (usually consisting of a combination of therapy and prescription drugs). ... Somewhere in the middle of that spectrum of fear, you'll find the average Joe/Jane whose best defense against fear usually consists of a good dose of "Logic/Knowledge", a heart full of "Love, Good Will and Compassion", a regular exercise of "Discipline & Meditation" and a fistful of "Courage and Bravery". ... Some may use their "Faith" as a shield against fear as well, but that should come innately, or it would be completely ineffective (and at times might even backfire). [As a good Y!A friend of mine always says:] Thank you for asking! :-)

Answer 6

Fear is the unconscious mind's way of telling us that we are at risk in some fashon. So, fear per se is a good thing.

There are two catches to it:

1) The unconscious mind bases it's evaluation of the existence of threat on the person's values: What is important to them (good and bad). Values are installed by family, religion, schools, media, etc. (One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter) As we go through life, it is often the case that the values installed in us are no longer useful.

2) Old, unresolved memories and conflicts can be stored away with fear attached. In our society, we don't teach ourselves to clean up this stuff as we go along, so the fear can build up, or be triggered by another, similar event.

Perhaps it is better to make the distinction between valuable, informative, here-and-now fear; as opposed to old, no longer relevant or useful stored negative emotions.

Answer 7

Hi Third P, I believe I saw an answer that dissected fear in many categories, & then some that referred to psychosis, & yet more who were convinced faith would save from anything feared, plus biological warnings & consequences.
I'd like to address the basic garden variety. Frankly, what I prefer is to go from A to B.
A. Fear is an emotional response to something unpleasant or dangerous, (real or perceived). Say that I observe two figures that appear to be "hiding" in the corner of an alley & probably outweigh me by a couple of hundred pounds. They "may" pounce on me & mug me. They "may" just be benign, having a bit of weed, or crashed from too much of the grain.
B. Because I don't know one way or the other, my choice is to avoid them, swiftly & wisely.
I've seen many "fears" unrealized, & some realities. The only course is to have an immediate escape hatch--that is--to COPE.
In a sense, coping is freeing oneself from the possible consequences of what is feared. From A to B.
There are many situations & conditions of fear, but at its most basic, we needn't be frozen, impotent or overwhelmed. Using logic is the bottom line.

Answer 8

I am going to assume you mean unrealistic fears that hold us back from emotional, mental, & spiritual growth. First we must recognize it, fear likes to hide behind a mask of reason so first we must come to see all it's hiding places. Next we must accept that we are afraid, denial will not lead to freedom in any form. Then we do it anyway, we just refuse to believe the lies our unrealistic fear tell us. After some practice unrealistic fears will begin to lose their hold on us.

Answer 9

How can we be free from fear?
To free oneself from fear, first one needs to know what fear is and where it comes from. Fear is a response of our system, a reaction caused by certain outside situations. The reaction can happen on all levels: Body, mind and emotions or only on one or two of these. The reaction is produced due to our unconscious background, where all the programs, concepts, beliefs, wishes, dreams, etc. are stored. This works like a reflector and every thing we encounter, is filtered and mirrored or projected to the outside and then a reaction is produced.
To get free from reactions or from fear, one has to find out about ones background, with other words one needs to be aware of it. First step is to observe ones reaction and this of course is only possible if one is not totally sucked by it. It is a necessary first step not to be sucked and then going into a flight and fight reaction. One needs to stay cool and observe oneself. Then one might find out, what has caused the reaction, not outside but inside, what means ones unconscious conditioning. Probably it has to do with ones existence. That could mean that one needs to defend ones identification with all the property one has gained: Ones self image, ones concepts, beliefs, knowledge, ones body and last not least all the property on the material level. All this must be defended and if something threatening shows up then automatically the personality that gets its feeling of existence out of it, reacts and part of this reaction shows up as fear. To be fearless one needs to clear up ones personal background. This is a learning process and the best field for this is daily life. This will offer exactly the circumstances where one will be confronted with situations, that will produce reactions and then one will have the opportunity to observe...So life is your best teacher to grow and part of it is to free yourself from fear.
BeiYin

Answer 10

I don't think FREE is the right word. I think OVERCOME would be better. I agree that we couldn't possibly be free from fear. In the very first place it is one of humans' basic emotions. So, what's left for us to do is overcome it whenever it comes.

As for me, in order to overcome fear, one should learn to TRUST. Trust oneself and others as well. Yes, I know, in this world, we couldn't really be sure who to trust. But we should admit as well that nothing is certain. I think it would also be better if one would try to realize what scares you most. Not only will one be able to face it when it comes but also, one could champion it. That's all. I hope I answered your question.