I have been there! Being entangled in the fear of the unknown, the fear of what if I fail, the fear of what they will say, and so on!

There were days I woke up and spent the whole day hesitating to take action, afraid that everything might turn out badly, and those were my worst days.

I can’t guarantee that I am 100% free from fear now, but I have developed strategies that help me fight it whenever it arises. Yes, in this world full of chaos, fear is inevitable, but it is manageable.

That is why today I want to share with you four strategies that help me deal with fear and stay on top and productive. You were born with power, the power to fight anything that comes your way, including fear, and today is your day to start claiming your power back using these strategies.

Wait! If you are wondering if these strategies work, they do for me, and we will find out if they work for you, too. But please, you can only know if they work after taking action.

1. Take a time alone to think through

Taking time alone is a habit I have developed for years, which helps me to make all decisions—from simple to tough ones. If you struggle with the fear of the unknown or what-ifs, this is the first strategy that is going to help you. Shut everyone and everything around you, and find a quiet, comfortable place to allow your thoughts to flow freely. That place might be in nature, at the ocean, lake, or another quiet water body, in your room, in your office—if you have a personal office, or somewhere of your preference. 

This will help you hear your own thoughts clearly without any external influence. And guess what! You will be surprised by how amazing your thoughts are and how easily you will be able to see the clear path of what you need to do next. Sometimes, we develop fear because of the influence of what is around us. That is why this self-moment must come in for our rescue.

2. Develop a habit of writing down your thoughts

During your quiet time, develop a habit of writing down your thoughts. You can bring a pen and notebook or a laptop(if you prefer a digital method). Writing your thoughts helps them flow clearly, clears your mind, and acts as a future reference in case you need it.

If you are facing a certain fear, you can start writing, for example, “Why am I feeling afraid?” Trying to crack this answer by mere thinking might give you a headache, but the moment the ink wrote the first sentence—or your hand typed the first sentence—thoughts begin to flow freely, and you start to see the clarity of everything.

It doesn’t matter whether your notes are organized or not. If you don’t know where to start, just write down anything that comes to your mind. With time, your mind will follow the pattern and start giving you organized thoughts.

3. Practice positive thinking

When you start developing the habit of taking your time alone and noting your thoughts, you might notice that most or some are negative. The next step is to begin spreading positivity in your mind because what we think determines our actions. You have to start training your mind to think positive thoughts. Honestly, I can’t tell you that it is easy, but with time you will get there. You might still have some negative thoughts, but at least positive thoughts will surpass them.

After mastering that skill, you will find it easier to focus on the positive side of everything whenever you are faced with fear. Everything has both positive and negative sides, but you only see what you focus on.

Yes, even the worst scenario you can think of has a positive side. Just try it and see!

4. Divide a big project into small chunks

Another thing that scares most people is the fear of failing to accomplish a specific project. Most of the time, we get afraid of how big or overwhelming the project seems, but today, I want to tell you that you can finish any project, no matter how big. Yes, you can! And you can achieve this by using the strategy of dividing a big project into smaller, chewable chunks. 

Try and see; it will make a big difference because everything begins in our minds. When you see a big project, your mind tells you that you can’t do it based on its size, but if you start dividing it into smaller parts and work on one part at a time, you will get there.

Do you remember what I said at the beginning?

You can only know if these strategies work for you after you take action. So, what is holding you back now?