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Turning Fear into Confidence—A Personal Essay

October 14, 2020

Facing obstacles throughout your life is inevitable, and the obstacles you overcome can define who you are as a person. Not only will this build character and self-confidence, it will show others how strong you remained and inspire them to overcome their own challenges.

But overcoming obstacles is no simple task. Most obstacles are incredibly hard and testing. Yet, by overcoming them, you will come to understand why they are important. The significance of overcoming obstacles in life is to make you more grounded, courageous, and wise. For me, one of these life-altering obstacles emerged during my undergraduate years.

I had a serious fear of public speaking. There were times where I would struggle with presentations and in-class discussions. When these sessions would take place, my fear built up in a pressure cooker of discouragement and convulsive anguish. I felt humiliated before my teachers, partners, and most of all, my close friends. I soon realized, however, that the same people who seemed to be the source of my fear became my lifeline, their inspirational words filling my mind and heart with positive thoughts.

Seeing my struggles, my peers tried to build me up, to increase my confidence in myself and convince me that anything, including overcoming my fear of public speaking, could be accomplished with enough enthusiasm and belief in oneself.

The obstacles we face in life can distort how we see ourselves and cripple our ability to face our fears. By facing these conflicts head on, though, we can completely flip their effect on us, transforming them into experiences that strengthen our resilience and push the boundaries of what we think is possible to achieve.

Taking everything into account everything I’ve learned from this experience and many others like it that I’ve encountered in my life, it’s clear that obstacles are impossible to avoid, and when you do encounter them, you must view them as learning opportunities. You might just surprise yourself at how easily you overcome them.

essay on my fears

This post was written by Duke TIP’s outgoing Marketing & Communications intern, Christina Gordon. Christina graduated from North Carolina Central University in the spring of 2020.

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About Duke TIP

The Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) is a nonprofit organization that has served over three million academically talented students in grades 4–12 since it was founded in 1980. Collaborating with educators and parents, TIP helps gifted students assess the extent of their academic abilities with above-grade-level testing, recognizes them for their achievements, and provides them with a variety of enrichment benefits as well as accelerated face-to-face and online educational programs.

97 Fear Essay Topics & Examples

🏆 best topics about fear & essay examples, 📌 good fear essay topics, ❓research questions about fear.

If you study psychology, you will probably have to write a fear essay at some point. The emotion is strong and can significantly affect any person, with effects potentially impairing his or her judgment and performance.

It can also result from a variety of sources, such as phobias or trauma, and manifest in many different conditions, taking the person by surprise. As such, it is essential to study the topic of how a person may deal with fear, with the most well-known one being courage.

However, there are many ideas on how the trait can be developed that can be used as fear essay hooks, but not all of them are viable. This article will help you write a powerful essay on the various topics associated with fear.

Fear is an emotion triggered by a perceived threat as a response that prepares the person to address it in an appropriate manner. As such, it is a reaction that helps people cope in the short term, but its effects when the person is constantly in a state of fear can be dangerous.

Examples include physical health deterioration due to the hormone production associated with the reaction and permanent mental health effects, such as PTSD.

As such, people who are affected by chronic fear should try to escape the state to avoid threats to their well-being. The first step towards doing so would be to discover and investigate the causes of the emotion.

Fear triggers in response to danger, whether real or perceived, and the nature of the reaction can provide you with ideas for fear essay titles. While it may be challenging to alleviate real conditions of real danger, not many people have to live in such situations.

Most chronic fear comes from various phobias, or persistent fear reactions to situations that may not warrant such a response. There are numerous variations, such as acrophobia, the fear of heights, and they are interesting topics for an investigation.

Between the many tall buildings designed by people and travel methods such as airplanes, a person with the condition may find it challenging to avoid stressful situations. However, they can generally avoid worrisome conditions with careful planning and the help of others.

Courage is a well-known quality that helps people overcome their fear, one that is described in many stories and images. However, it should be noted that courage is not the absence of fear, but rather a willingness to acknowledge it and confront the source.

The act involves a conscious effort of the will, and many people believe they do not have the capacity to do so. You should discuss the ways in which people can learn to be courageous and the methods that can be used to inspire them to try.

Here are some additional tips for enhancing your essay:

  • Focus on the positive implications of fear and courage, as they are responsible for many of humanity’s great successes, and provide fear essay examples. Our society is safe from many different dangers because people were afraid of them.
  • Make sure to cite scholarly sources wherever appropriate instead of trying to rely on common knowledge. Psychology is a science that has developed considerably since its inception and can offer a wealth of knowledge.
  • Follow standard essay formatting guidelines, such as the use of academic language, the separation of different essay parts with appropriate titles, and the use of an introduction and conclusion.

Get more fear essay theses and other useful paper samples at IvyPanda!

  • “The Big Wave” by Pearl S. Buck: Jiya and Kino’s Rise Above Fear A deeper contemplation of the first few pages of the story reveals that Jiya is always afraid of the ocean since he understands the wrath of the storm and the changes it has brought in […]
  • My Monster: The Fear of Being Alone Thus, my monster is the fear of being alone, and it is similar to several literary characters at once: Grendel’s mother, the Demon Lover, and the fear of a couple from Once Upon a Time.
  • Xenophobia – The Fear of Foreigners This reaction of the woman is xenophobic because it highlights fear and hatred of people of another race emanating. The second component of xenophobia entails the fear of cultures and the main target of this […]
  • Fear and intolerance of aging – “Love in the time of cholera” by Gabriel Marquez This passage was chosen because it carries with it one of the most dominant themes of the narrative which is the fear and intolerance of aging.
  • Ghost’s Fear Believe you me that as one listens to all mysterious actions of the ghosts in the stories, he or she is forming the same picture in the mind.
  • Substance Abuse in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas The protagonists constantly increase the dose of the hallucinogen, which leads to “a quantitative increase in the effects of the experience”.
  • Atychiphobia, or the Fear of Failure in Psychology Putting it simply, the fear of failure is the incapability to suppress the anxious and irrational feeling of fear that, as a result, affects one’s life.
  • ”Courage to Teach” by Palmer: How to Deal With Fear The relationship between the teacher and the student is a very important element of the teaching process according to the author, meaning that the human condition must be considered in the process of teaching.
  • The News Media Role in the Culture of Fear The reception of such news has the potential of eliciting fear among the public depending on one’s understanding or relation to the news spread by the media houses.
  • The Movie “Color of Fear” The issue of racism is introduced by the film’s director right from the beginning. Therefore, by the end of the video the issue of race is already embedded in the mind of the viewer.
  • Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Film Analysis The drugs presented in “Fear and loathing in Las Vegas” are of various types, cigarettes and alcohol are legal, grass is legal only in some countries, and the rest of the drugs are illegal everywhere […]
  • Robert Frost’s Fear Poetry In Sheehy’s article, Lawrence Thompson notes that the ultimate problem of Frost biographer is to see if the biographer can be enough of a psychologist to get far enough back into the formative years of […]
  • How to Overcome Fear and Succeed: Informative Speech General purpose: To describe Specific purpose: To teach my listeners the method I use to speak confidently in public and learn new skills.
  • Why Are We Afraid of Death? However, it can be interesting to understand why the rest of the people are so afraid of death. People are afraid of the unknown.
  • The Pianist: When the Mercy Comes Where Angels Fear to Trod Among them, there is the film called The Pianist, a winner of the Palme d’Or on the Cannes Festival and the movie that has raised a great stir among the audience, them regarding the film […]
  • “Mediating Effect of the Fear of Missing Out” by Fontes-Perryman and Spina In particular, they were interested in the FOMO and CSMU’s potential mediating effect between OCD and SMF. Overall, the main strength of the argument is that the authors conducted two separate studies involving people from […]
  • Fear of Missing Out and Scarcity in Social Media The study’s independent variables were “none”, “some”, and “all”, while the dependent variable was “the number of friends who agreed to attend the event”.
  • The Views on the Freedom from Fear in the Historical Perspective In this text, fear is considered in the classical sense, corresponding to the interpretation of psychology, that is, as a manifestation of acute anxiety for the inviolability of one’s life.
  • Hitler’s Use of Propaganda and Fear-Mongering The establishment of the National Socialist German Worker’s Party led to the adoption of a properly coordinated propaganda campaign that would prepare the country for war.
  • Fear of Immigrants and People of Color in the US The enhancement of strict immigration laws was due to the transfer of immigrants out of Europe to foreigners from Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
  • Increasing Level of Fear of Crime and Its Cause Curiel and Bishop report that the rate of victimization, meaning the rate of actual crime taking place, is opposite to the rate of fear of crime.
  • The Salem Witch Trials: A Time of Fear The outbreak began with the sudden and rather unusual illness of the daughter and niece of the local Reverend Samuel Parris.
  • Gagging Prevalence and Its Association With Dental Fear in 4-12 Year Old Children The Gagging Assessment Scale (GAS) is a questionnaire in which children answered questions about their feelings during a regular dental procedure, for example, tooth brushing.
  • Researching of Why Human Beings Fear Death From the religious perspective, some people know about their sins committed on earth in their life and are afraid of the punishment for those sins as opposed to people who believe in God and His […]
  • Fighting Fear: The Only Secret Behind Becoming Rich The aim of the proposed research is to determine how fear of risks may affect the decisions taken in accounting and finance and in turn the development of an entrepreneurial culture in people.
  • Effects of Community Policing Upon Fear of Crime The purpose of the article aimed at identifying the intervening factors in relation to how people perceive community policing and decrease of criminal threat and anxieties among citizens; therefore, the two researchers aimed to address […]
  • The Effects of Campus Shootings on Fear of Crime on Campus This study focuses on investigating the impacts of shootings on fear of crime on campus. First, there is a relationship between campus shootings and fear on crime.
  • “Childbirth Fear and Sleep Deprivation in Pregnant Women” by Hall To further show that the information used is current, the authors have used the APA style of referencing which demand the naming of the author as well as the year of publication of the article/book […]
  • Culture, Gaze and the Neural Processing of Fear Expressions The paper has a cross-cultural setting and this justifies the appeal to an earlier authoritative study that compared the cultural experience to the expression of basic emotions.
  • Theory of Fear as a Part of Public Policy As Machiavelli points out, fear is an integral part of the policy of a prince, in case it bites not his royal majesty, but the people of the state. And since that certainly means a […]
  • Abnormal Psychology: Nature of Fear There is a group of disorders which share obvious symptoms and features of fear and anxiety and these are known as anxiety disorders.
  • Fear in News and Violence in Media In the proposed paper I intend to present the prevailing fear in American society and which has been produced by news media and the rise of a “problem frame” which is used to delineate this […]
  • Edgar Allan Poe’s Fear of Premature Burial For instance, in The Tell-Tale Heart and The Black Cat the police arrive and stimulate a desire on the part of the narrator to confess his crime and undergo punishment from the state.
  • Gender Inequality, Violence Against Women, and Fear in The Sopranos Thus, the major research question will be “Does The Sopranos endorse or criticize VaW through the frequent depiction of the scenes of cruelty?” The hypothesis of the research paper will be “The portrayal of VaW […]
  • Technophobes and Their Fear of Technology Technophobes assume that they will whether be laid off by the company or will have to commit to continuous learning, which to many people, is a big challenge on its own.
  • Patient’s Dental Fear: Managing Anxiety In order to find out the most effective ways to cope with the patient’s dental fear, one might consider those methods which will be applicable in accordance with the state of a client.
  • Navigating Leadership Challenges: Insights from Erica Suzman’s Journey The particular case that Erica has to deal with is the case of Royal Collins, a fourth-grader who has problems in his family and often demonstrates misbehavior at school.
  • Fear from Media Reporting of Crimes The biggest question is whether it is the fact that there are criminals all around us, or it is in the head. The role of the media is quite profound in this.
  • Psychological Science: Fear of Heights in Infants The article ‘Fear of Heights in Infants?’ by Adolph et al.shows that the conventional belief is a myth and provides an alternative explanation as to why infants avoid falling off the edge.
  • Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and Social Media Usage The first hypothesis, for instance, is that the greater the number of social media platforms used regularly, the higher the level of FoMO a person will experience.
  • Definition of Dental Anxiety and Fear That way, studying the facts that contribute to the prevalence of anxiety in dental patients, the researchers should study the psychopathological profiles of anxious individuals.
  • Overcoming Fear of Failure Consequently, this essay evaluates the roles of research practitioners on how fear of failure generates and the significance of their research in the websites.
  • Fear in Behaviorist and Cognitive Perspectives Therefore, my fear is a result of the retrieval of what happened to me on the day I found that snake in my room.
  • Psychology of Fear: Amanda Ripley Views Another important element associated with disbelief is lack of information among the victims and those responding to the disaster. The immediate decision to vacate a disaster prone-area is dangerous and lacks in terms of deliberate […]
  • Sociological Book “The Culture of Fear” by Barry Glassner The book “The Culture of Fear” presents many examples of the sources of fear in the United States. The peddlers of panic in the country inflate statistics to pursue their causes and goals.
  • Dissecting the American Society: Baltimore, Fear and the Fight for Life Despite the fact that the citizens of Baltimore are also partially responsible for the moral decomposition of the city, the society and the prejudices that it produces also seem to have had a hand in […]
  • “Freedom from Fear” by David M. Kennedy Whereas the latter omission may be judged bitterly by critiques of this book, it is interesting to note that the era of the Great Depression has been dramatically discussed by the author to the best […]
  • Critical Analyses of the Climate of Fear Report From Southern Poverty Law Center Following the murder of Marcelo Lucero in the Suffolk County, the federal government initiated an investigation to establish the foundations of the practice and pattern of hate crimes against the undocumented immigrants.
  • Fear and Trembling by Soren Kierkegaard: Passage Analysis To a great extent, this feeling belittles a human being, and in the long term, this emotion can only lead to the bitterness of the individual who is a subject of pity.
  • Fear Appeals in Advertising Fear appeals work when advertisers present a moderate amount of fear and a solution to the problem is present in the advertisement. A thorough elaboration of fear may interfere with the communication of the intended […]
  • Fear vs. Courage On the other hand, the goodies that ensue from being obedient form the basis of his courage to adhere to set rules and do the will of his authorities.
  • Summary of the Article “Should We Fear Derivatives?” It is necessary to become more attentive to the use of derivatives, to follow the development of derivatives, and to study the peculiarities of each derivative’s type in order to use them properly.
  • Hopes and Fears in Regard to the “Network Society” On the other hand, the importance of mass media and communication means has led to prevailing role of computers and other instant messaging devices over personal communication, and the resulting depersonalization of human relations.
  • The Culture of Fear The culture of fear is not new: it continues to breed with the sustaining efforts of the opportunistic politicians seeking votes from the public by playing on people’s emotions through mass media.
  • Embracing the Entire Globe: Globalization Is not to Be Feared! Despite the fact that globalization is designed to reunite people, restoring their economical, political and personal links with one another, there are certain suspicions that the effect of globalization can possibly harm the ethnicity and […]
  • Fear and Trembling in Las Vegas In the book “Fear and Trembling in Las Vegas”, the author takes his readers through their experience in the chase of the American Dream.
  • Machiavelli’s Claim to Be Either Feared or Loved In describing a leader’s demonstration of his personal skills and knowledge for the attainment of the state’s good, Machiavelli focuses the importance of statesmanship.
  • Aerophobia or Fear of Flying The main aim of the careful explanation of the positive reasons of recovering from the condition is to enable the victim to have a feeling of absolute calmness as the session winds up and to […]
  • Phil Barker: What Is Fear? According to the author, there is some form of fear that is understandable and advantageous to an individual while there is also some fear that accounts for conflicts that result in war.
  • The Movie Tarnished as a Threat: Did They Fear Egoism, Altruism or What Hid in Between? Thus, it is reasonable to suggest that the movie gives a good example of what such people’s traits as egoism and altruism can lead to, once they have been too exaggerated.
  • The Fears Within: What Do You See in the Mirror? Without thinking much of what she should take with her, or where the trip would take her, Cassie had bought the tickets and soon was flying away to the islands where the world would be […]
  • Fear associated with sexuality issues in society This essay has shown how sexuality particularly in Africa is an issue that has for a long time served to propagate the fear of different people.
  • Fear’s Psychological Aspects The controls and the fearful research participants were quicker in finding a target that was fear relevant, which the research group did not fear.
  • SARS: It’s as Bad as We Feared but Dared Not Say The cornerstone of the study is the article written by Jennifer Eagleton wherein she described not only the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong in 2003 but also the way the media dealt with the crisis […]
  • How Far Did the CCP Control China Through Fear?
  • Does Fear Make Our Lives Decisions for Us?
  • How Does Iago Inspire Fear and a Looming Sense of Tragedy Through His Soliloquies?
  • Can Fear Beat Hope?
  • How Does the Reporting of Criminal Offenses Create Fear?
  • Does Global Fear Predict Fear in BRICS Stock Markets?
  • How Far Was Fear of Communism the Main Reason for the Rise to Power of the Nazi Party?
  • Did Hitler Use Fear to Control?
  • How Does Spielberg Create Fear and Humour Within Jaws?
  • Does Imagination Overcome Fear in the Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe?
  • How Does Fear Affect Personal Behavioral Development?
  • Can Fear Cause Economic Collapse?
  • Does Fear Increase Search Effort in More Numerate People?
  • How Does Bram Stoker Use Gothic Conventions to Create an Atmosphere of Suspense and Fear for the Reader?
  • Does Monetary Policy Credibility Mitigate the Fear of Floating?
  • How Can Fear Arousal Be Used as a Method of Health Promotion?
  • Does More Unemployment Cause More Fear of Unemployment?
  • How Can One Overcome Fear of Public Speaking?
  • Does One Gender Incite Fear Over Another?
  • How Are Characters Affected by Fear in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest?
  • Does Religiousness Buffer Against the Fear of Death and Dying in Late Adulthood?
  • How Does Culture Mold the Effects of Self-Efficacy and Fear of Failure on Entrepreneurship?
  • Does the Fear Gauge Predict Downside Risk More Accurately Than Econometric Models?
  • How Does Charles Dickens Build a Sense of Fear Throughout the Signalman?
  • Does the Media Affect People’s Fear of Crime?
  • How Does Fear Affect Our Society?
  • Why Do Males and Females Register Fear Differently?
  • How Can Fear Destroy an Individual?
  • Was the Cuban Missile Crisis the Result of Castro’s Fear of the U.S. Invasion?
  • How Does ‘Moral Panic’ Increase Our Fear of Crime?
  • Respect Essay Topics
  • Moral Development Essay Topics
  • Safety Essay Ideas
  • Conflict Research Topics
  • Hope Research Topics
  • Leadership Concept Essay Titles
  • Personal Values Ideas
  • Stoicism Topics
  • Chicago (A-D)
  • Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, February 24). 97 Fear Essay Topics & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/fear-essay-examples/

"97 Fear Essay Topics & Examples." IvyPanda , 24 Feb. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/fear-essay-examples/.

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IvyPanda . 2024. "97 Fear Essay Topics & Examples." February 24, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/fear-essay-examples/.

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Essay on Fear in 600 Words: Steps to Overcome Fear

essay on my fears

  • Updated on  
  • Mar 22, 2024

Essay on Fear

Essay on fear: Fear is a feeling of apprehension, anxiety, or dread in response to a perceived threat or danger. We all fear something. Fear can be caused by any situation, stimuli, individual, or past memory. Fear activates our fight-or-flight response, a surge of hormones like adrenaline that prepares us to face danger head-on or escape a risky situation. 

Overcoming fear requires courage, determination, and willpower. A person who has hydrophobia can overcome his/her fear through exposure therapy under an expert, cognitive behavioral therapy, and efforts. Fearing something for a long time can lead to persistent anxiety and stress, causing symptoms like racing thoughts, difficulty sleeping, muscle tension, and fatigue.

Table of Contents

  • 1 Why Do We Fear?
  • 2 What Are Some Popular Fears/ Phobias?
  • 3 Steps to Overcome Fear
  • 4 10 Motivational Quotes to Overcome Fear

Also Read: Essay on Chandrayaan 3

Why Do We Fear?

There are several causes of fear. Humans and animals fear a specific stimulus associated with their unpleasant memories. Our response to fear varies. 

Survival instinct can lead to fear. Individuals who are more cautious and alert to potential dangers are more likely to survive and pass on their genes. Fear drives us to react quickly to threats. This reaction is mostly of fighting or fleeing, increasing our chances of survival. 

Personal experiences or learned behavior can be a cause of fear. A person with a negative experience with a particular situation or object may develop fear or phobia associated with it. This learned fear helps us avoid potential harm in the future.

Our lives are greatly influenced by our cultural and social values. Societal norms, religious beliefs, and cultural traditions often influence what we perceive as threatening or dangerous. 

What Are Some Popular Fears/ Phobias?

The list of fears or phobias is endless. Some of the popular fears/ phobias are:

  • Fear or Darkness – Achluophobia
  • Fear of Heights – Acrophobia
  • Fear of Flying – Aerophobia
  • Fear of Failure – Atychiphobia
  • Fear of Being Alone – Autophobia
  • Fear of Bacteria – Bacteriophobia
  • Fear of Gravity – Barophobia
  • Fear of Books – Bibliophobia
  • Fear of Snow – Chionophobia
  • Fear of Dogs – Cynophobia

Steps to Overcome Fear

Identifying your fears, their causes, and their consequences is very important as it can help you overcome them and become successful in life. A person who fears something finds it difficult to deal with everyday situations. Imagine you have Acrophobia or fear of heights and your office is located on the 40th floor of a building. Will you be able to concentrate on your work? Don’t need to panic, as we will provide you with some easy steps to overcome fear.

  • Identify Your Fear

Start by identifying your fear, its causes, and what triggers it. What is your fear? Heights? Water? Insects? Whatever it is, talk to yourself about it and understand how you react when you face your fear.

  • Challenge Your Thoughts

Our thoughts play an important role in fueling fear. Often, our fearful thoughts are exaggerated or irrational. Challenge these thoughts by asking yourself: How realistic is this fear? What’s the evidence to support this thought? 

  • Relaxation Techniques

Fight or flight is the immediate response when we face our fear. This is a natural response. Simple techniques like deep breathing, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation can help calm your body and mind, making it easier to think clearly and rationally.

  • Graduation Exposure

Pushing yourself in a controlled and safe way can be a great way to overcome your fear. A person who fears heights can overcome his fear by watching videos of high places. Then progress to visiting a low balcony, and eventually working your way up to higher heights.

  • Positive Visualization

How great will you feel when you realize you have successfully overcome your fear? Visualizing can help you take steps that can lead to positive outcomes. This can help build confidence and reduce anxiety.

  • Reach Out for Support

Talking to a close friend, family member, or therapist about your fear can be a great way. Talking it out can provide valuable support and encouragement.

  • Reward Yourself

As we make progress in overcoming our fears, it is very important to reward ourselves by staying positive and moving forward.

10 Motivational Quotes to Overcome Fear

Here are 10 motivational quotes that can help you overcome your fears.

‘The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.’ – Nelson Mandela

‘You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.’ – Eleanor Roosevelt

‘Do the thing you fear and keep on doing it… Fear is a bully. A bully thrives on your silence. The more you cower, the more it swells. But when you stand up to it, when you seize it by the throat and say, ‘That’s enough,’ it wilts. It shrinks.’ – Rosie Greer

‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.’ – Franklin D. Roosevelt

‘Fear is a natural reaction to a perceived threat. Courage is the movement forward despite that fear.’ – Pauline Rohn

‘Fall seven times and stand up eight.’ – Japanese Proverb

‘I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.’ – Michael Jordan

‘There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the life you are capable of living.’ – Nelson Mandela

‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frighten us.’ – Marianne Williamson

‘Do not let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.’ – Babe Ruth

Ans: Fear is a feeling of apprehension, anxiety, or dread in response to a perceived threat or danger. Identifying your fears, their causes, and their consequences is very important as it can help you overcome them and become successful in life. A person who fears something finds it difficult to deal with everyday situations. Imagine you have Acrophobia or fear of heights and your office is located on the 40th floor of a building. Will you be able to concentrate on your work?

Ans: Survival instinct can lead to fear. Individuals who are more cautious and alert to potential dangers are more likely to survive and pass on their genes. Fear drives us to react quickly to threats. This reaction is mostly of fighting or fleeing, increasing our chances of survival.  Personal experiences or learned behavior can be a cause of fear. A person with a negative experience with a particular situation or object may develop fear or phobia associated with it. This learned fear helps us avoid potential harm in the future.

Ans: ‘The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.’ ‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.’ ‘Fear is a natural reaction to a perceived threat. Courage is the movement forward despite that fear.’ ‘Fall seven times and stand up eight.’

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Essay on Biggest Fear

Students are often asked to write an essay on Biggest Fear in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Biggest Fear

Understanding fear.

Fear is a feeling we all experience. It is an emotional response to danger or threat. It can be real or imagined. Fear can be small like fear of bugs, or big like fear of heights. Everyone has their own biggest fear. It is different for everyone.

Impact of Fear

Overcoming fear.

Overcoming our biggest fear is not easy. It takes time and effort. We can do it by facing our fear little by little. We can also seek help from adults or professionals. Remember, it’s okay to be scared. But don’t let fear control your life.

250 Words Essay on Biggest Fear

Fear is a feeling we all experience. It is a response to danger, a way our body tells us to be careful. It can be scary, like when we see a snake, or it can be less direct, like worrying about a test at school. But what is our biggest fear?

The Biggest Fear

Dealing with fear.

Even though fear can be scary, it is a normal part of life. Everyone feels fear at some point. The important thing is not to let fear control our lives. We can learn to face our fears and overcome them. This might mean asking for help, practicing something until we get better, or talking about our fears with someone we trust.

Fear is a powerful feeling that can make us feel bad and stop us from doing things we want to do. But remember, it’s okay to be scared. The key is to not let fear stop us from trying new things or achieving our goals. Our biggest fear might be big, but we are bigger. We can face our fears and overcome them.

500 Words Essay on Biggest Fear

Introduction.

Fear is a feeling we all experience. It is a response to danger or threat. Our biggest fear is the one that scares us the most. It can be anything from spiders, heights, darkness, to the fear of failure. This essay will talk about the concept of ‘biggest fear,’ its causes, effects, and ways to overcome it.

Fear is a natural feeling. It is our body’s way of telling us to be careful. When we sense danger, our body reacts. Our heart beats faster, we start to sweat, and our mind focuses on the threat. This is called the ‘fight or flight’ response. It helps us to either stand and fight or run away from the danger. Our biggest fear is the one that causes this reaction the most.

Causes of Fear

Our fears can come from many places. Some people are scared of things because of a bad experience in the past. For example, if you were bitten by a dog as a child, you might be scared of dogs now. Sometimes, we learn to be scared of things from the people around us. If your parents are scared of spiders, you might learn to fear spiders too. Other times, our fears can come from our imagination. We might be scared of monsters under the bed, even though we know they are not real.

Effects of Fear

The good news is that we can learn to overcome our fears. One way is to face our fears little by little. If you are scared of dogs, you might start by looking at pictures of dogs. Then, you could watch a dog from a distance. Finally, you might try petting a dog. This is called ‘exposure therapy.’ It can be very helpful.

Another way to overcome fear is to talk about it. You can talk to a trusted friend, family member, or teacher. They can give you advice and support. Sometimes, just talking about our fears can make them feel less scary.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

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How to Face Your Fears When You Want to Tackle Them Head-On

Catherine Falls Commercial / Getty Images

Evaluate Risks

Create an action plan, seek a therapist, avoiding vs. facing your fears.

A little bit of fear is normal. In fact, fear helps you instinctively protect yourself from harm. Your fear might help you to recognize when you’re about to do something dangerous, and it could help you to make a safer choice.

But, you might find yourself fearful of things that aren’t actually dangerous, like public speaking . Your fear of public speaking might prevent you from advancing in your career or participating in traditions like giving a toast at your best friend's wedding.

If you really want to go on a vacation to Europe, but your fear of flying gives you pause, you might feel like your fear is stopping you from living your dream. If you find that your fear holds you back or creates bigger problems in your life, facing your fear may help you learn to better cope with the fear and ultimately overcome it.

At a Glance

Common ways of facing your fears are evaluating the risks, creating an action plan, seeing a therapist, and being sure not to completely avoid your fears. However, you may need to first decide whether it’s necessary to face your fear if it is not part of your daily life.

Sometimes, fear comes from simply not knowing very much about the thing you fear.   For example, you might be afraid of airplanes because it seems like you have heard about a lot of in-air incidents that lead to injury or death.

However, if you look into the statistics, you might learn that the probability of death on a U.S. commercial jet airline is 1 in 7 million (in comparison to 1 in 600 from smoking).

You can also learn more about what causes those bumps and jolts during turbulence on an aircraft—it’s simply the movement of air having an effect on the aircraft and, if you’re buckled in properly, poses very little threat to you.

Of course, less tangible fears, such as being afraid of public speaking, don’t necessarily have statistics to help you learn more about the risks you perceive. But you can read about other people’s successful public speaking ventures, or learn more about the successful public speaking strategies, to help you feel more confident.

Keep in mind that just because something feels scary, it doesn’t mean it’s actually risky. Educate yourself about the facts and the risks you actually face by doing the things that scare you.

The key to facing your fears is to take one small step at a time. Going too fast or doing something too scary before you are ready can backfire.

But it’s also important to keep moving forward. A moderate amount of anxiety is OK. Don’t wait for your anxiety to disappear before taking a step forward, or you may find yourself waiting for a change that isn't going to come on its own.

The best way to create an action plan is to create a fear hierarchy made up of small steps. Here’s an example of how someone might face the fear of public speaking one step at a time using a form of exposure therapy:

  • Stand in front of a mirror and give a two-minute talk.
  • Record yourself giving a talk and watch it back.
  • Practice the talk in front of a partner.
  • Practice the talk in front of a partner and family member.
  • Practice the talk in front of a partner, family member, and one friend.
  • Practice the talk in front of a partner, family member, and two friends.
  • Give the talk in a meeting at work.

In some cases, virtual reality treatment may be an option to provide exposure therapy. The treatment has shown promise in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

If your fears are debilitating, you aren’t having much success facing them on your own, or your fear is related to a specific health condition, like an eating disorder, social anxiety disorder, or PTSD, you can seek the help of a trusted mental health professional. If you have a specific phobia , which is a persistent, diagnosable anxiety disorder, you may not feel prepared to conquer your fears on your own.

A cognitive behavioral therapist can help desensitize you to your fears one small step at a time. Most mental health professionals are comfortable treating a variety of fears and phobias ranging from the fear of public speaking to arachnophobia.

Treatment may involve talking about the thing that scares you, practicing relaxation strategies, and managing your anxiety as you face your fears head-on. A therapist can help you go at a pace that is comfortable and healthy for you.

Fear-facing treatment may include:

  • Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) : ACT involves accepting your fears in order to make them less threatening and less impactful on your life.
  • Exposure therapy (immersion therapy) : The underlying principle of exposure therapy is that through practice and experience, you will become more comfortable in situations that you would otherwise avoid.
  • Psychoanalytic theory : Psychoanalysis aims to cure the fear or phobia by rooting out and solving the original conflict.

While avoiding the situations you fear might make you feel better in the short term, avoidance can cause increased anxiety in the long term. When you completely avoid your fears, you teach your amygdala (the fear center in your brain) that you can't handle them.

On the contrary, gradually facing your fears, in small doses that don't overwhelm you, may help decrease anxiety "habituating" your amygdala, or letting your brain become accustomed to the fear.

According to an animal study published in the journal Science , the brain has to experience repeated exposure to fear in order to get over it. Researchers placed rodents in a small box and gave them a mild shock. Then, over a long period, they place the same rodents in a box without administering shocks. At first, the mice froze but with repeated exposure, they were able to relax.

While animal research isn't directly applicable to humans, the thought behind facing your fears aims to achieve a similar outcome.

Should You Face Your Fear?

You don’t need to conquer every fear you have. A fear of tsunamis may not be disruptive to your everyday life if you live 1,000 miles away from the ocean. But it may be a problem if you live on the coast and panic every time you hear about earthquakes, storms, or high tides because you think you might be in danger, or you avoid going on a vacation you'd otherwise enjoy in an effort to avoid getting close to open water.

Have an internal conversation with yourself about what your fears are stopping you from doing, and consider whether it’s a problem that you need to confront. Are your fears causing you to lead a less fulfilling life than the one you hoped for?

  • Consider the pros and cons of not facing your fear. Write those down.
  • Identify the pros and cons of tackling your fears head-on.
  • Write down what you might achieve or how your life might be different if you overcome your fear.
  • Read over the lists to make a clearer decision about what to do next.

Fear vs. Phobia

When determining whether you should face your fear on your own, it's important to understand the distinction between a normal fear and a phobia. When psychologists distinguish between fears and phobias, the key difference is the strength of the fear response and its impact on the person's life.

You also might watch videos about airplanes, or park your car near an airport in an area where you can watch flights land and take off. Learning more about planes and being near them may help ease your fear over time. 

If you can’t actually do the thing that scares you to practice, you might use imagined exposure. For example, while it’s difficult to practice flying on an airplane one step at a time, you might be able to induce a little anxiety by imagining yourself getting on a plane. Think about how it would feel to take your seat and how you would handle feeling the plane take off.

Both fears and phobias generate an emotional response, but a phobia causes anxiety that is disproportionate to the perceived threat so much so that it interferes with a person's ability to function. For example, while a fear of flying may make you anxious about an upcoming trip or have you considering an alternate means of travel, if you have aerophobia (a specific phobia surrounding flying), your phobia may impact your daily life, including:

  • Spending an inordinate amount of time worrying about flying (even when a trip isn't imminent)
  • Avoiding airports
  • Becoming anxious when planes fly overhead
  • Having an inability to board a flight, or experiencing a serious physiological response like sweating, shaking, or crying if you do board a plane

While treatment for phobia may very well include an element of facing the fear in the form of guided therapy, it may also include medication or alternative therapies.

What This Means For You

The best way to conquer a fear is to face it head-on, but it’s important to do so in a healthy manner that helps you move past the fear rather than in a way that traumatizes you. If you're having difficulty on your own, a mental health professional can guide you gradually through the situations that you fear, being sure to first work on the thought patterns that keep you stuck.

Seif, M. Eight Steps to Overcoming Your Fear of Flying . Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA).

Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. What Is Exposure Therapy? . American Psychological Association (APA), Div. 12 (Society of Clinical Psychology).

Pachana NA, Woodward RM, Byrne GJ. Treatment of specific phobia in older adults . Clin Interv Aging . 2007;2(3):469-76. PMID:18044196

Khalaf O, Resch S, Dixsaut L, Gorden V, Glauser L, Gräff J. Reactivation of recall-induced neurons contributes to remote fear memory attenuation . Science . 2018;360(6394):1239-1242. doi:10.1126/science.aas9875

By Amy Morin, LCSW Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk,  "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time.

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Fear Essay | Essay on Fear for Students and Children in English

February 13, 2024 by Prasanna

Fear Essay:  Fear is a natural, powerful, and primitive emotion experienced by humans, usually triggered by an unpleasant perception of danger that is either real or imaginary—fear causes psychological and, ultimately, behavioral changes in people.

Human beings experience fear as a response to a specific stimulus that occurs either in the present or in expectation or anticipation of a future threat that might be a risk to themselves. Response to any kind of fear varies from person to person.

You can also find more  Essay Writing  articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more.

Long and Short Essays on Fear for Students and Kids in English

We are providing students with samples of a long essay of 500 words on the topic Fear and a short essay of 150 words on the topic Fear for reference.

Long Essay on Fear 500 Words in English

Long Essay on Fear is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Fear, the quintessential human emotion, is an utterly unavoidable human emotion. The extent and range of fear from different things vary from person to person, but the emotion is the same. Fear is capable of causing psychological changes and, ultimately, behavioral changes in a person.

Humans experience fear as a response to a specific stimulus to a situation occurring in the present or an anticipated future threat that is a risk to oneself. The response to fear arises from the recognition of danger, leading to the confrontation of the situation or escaping the fear or avoiding the situation – also known as fight or flight response.

We all humans are programmed in a manner to recognize fear to avoid or reduce being harmed. Learning from the past about what can protect one in dangerous situations makes people capable of doing many things that one wouldn’t typically be able to or willing to respond to the threat.

Fear is broadly classified into two types, innate fears, and identity fears. Innate fears are the fears that every individual has on some level, and humans are born with these fears, which also serve as a kind of survival instinct. Humans develop identity fears as they evolve.

Apart from this, many people also fear love and connection. These fears are a subset of identity fears. As humans grow in their lives, they tend to grow connections with people, and these bonds become of great value to the person. Losing these bonds is one of the biggest fears of many.

Sometimes fear originates from real threats, but it can also originate from imagined danger – which makes fear experienced by people either rational or irrational. Rational fear is the fear of something that is real – occurring from something entirely possible or will occur. Fear of mortality is an example of a rational fear as we humans are immortal. However, irrational fears are necessarily implausible, but the fear arises from a real place in the psyche.

In some people, fear is also a response to mental health conditions such as anxiety disorders, panic attacks, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Phobia is an irrational or extreme or aversion of something. An aspect of anxiety disorder can be the tendency to develop a fear of fear.

Many people confuse fear of phobias. Fears are typical responses to objects or events. Still, fear becomes a phobia when the fear interferes with functioning correctly and maintains a consistent quality of life. Fear in humans involves a biochemical response to the situation as well as a high individual emotional response.

Fear is an emotion experienced in the mind, but it triggers some strong physical reaction in one’s body. As soon as one’s body recognizes fear, the brain starts working, alerting the nervous system, which sets the body’s response to fear into motion. The human brain releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, increasing blood pressure, and adrenaline. One starts breathing faster, and blood flow in the body changes – blood flows away from the heart into the limbs.

Short Essay on Fear 150 Words in English

Short Essay on Fear is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Fear is one of the seven universal emotions experience by humans all over the world. Any fear arises with the threat of harm, physical, emotional, or psychological – from a real or imaginary situation.

Usually perceived as a negative emotion, fear can also be positive and healthy. Fear serves as a survival instinct helping humans in recognizing situations that can be harmful or dangerous.

Fear makes one foggy and makes it impossible to think clearly or make the correct decision. However, some people enjoy fear and gain pleasure due to the adrenaline rush experienced in some situations.

Fear will hold one back from achieving victories and significant accomplishments. Everything that one does in life will strike a little bit of fear in their hearts; however, overcoming the fear and giving one’s best is the most satisfying feeling. Don’t let your fears stop you from fulfilling your dreams.

10 Lines on Fear Essay in English

1. Researches have shown that humans can smell others’ fear and react to each other’s scents. 2. One can inherit fear from their parents or grandparents just like any other genetic trait. 3. We humans aren’t born with most of the fears; fear is often learned from knowledge and experience. 4. Fear is the opposite of love as the brain releases chemical oxytocin when in love, which helps overcome learned fears. 5. Sleep offers a unique state in which selected fears can be eliminated. 6. One big scary event in one’s life is not what causes fear; instead, it is a mixture of environment and genetics. 7. Fear can become extinct by associating non-fearful memories with the event. 8. Stress hormones released by humans helps in enhancing the extinction of fear. 9. Some people associate fears with pleasure – the thrill of the experience doesn’t end with the process’s end. 10. Fear can make one foggy making it difficult to make the right decision or think clearly.

FAQ’s on Fear Essay

Question 1.  Why do we experience fear?

Answer: Fear is an unavoidable feeling that is experienced by all. Fear is programmed into humans’ nervous system, and it works like a response to the perception of danger.

Question 2. Is it necessary to experience fear?

Answer: Fear helps in protecting us. Humans are equipped with survival and instinct, which is a response to the sense of danger or an unsafe feeling.

Question 3.  How can fear be avoided?

Answer: Talking about your fear, imagining the worst that could happen, distracting oneself with happy thoughts, and clearing out the mind by taking time in understanding what is causing the fear and anxiety.

Question 4. What are a few most common fears of humans?

Answer: Fear of height, fear of the dark, fear of closed spaces, fear of insects, fear of blood, fear of the violent weather, fear of dying are a few most common types of fear experienced by people.

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Home / Essay Samples / Life / Fear / Facing Fear To Overcome It

Facing Fear To Overcome It

  • Category: Life , Psychology
  • Topic: Fear , Personal Experience , Phobias

Pages: 1 (506 words)

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