Facing Fears

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Fear is a part of human life, an emotion present in every human being. I imagine that when our creator created us, he planted seeds of fear in us for reasons best known to Him. Interestingly, fear varies from one person to another. What makes you scared to the bones might not even make me flinch or move an inch. For some, it might be fear of darkness, while others may fear snakes, water, or fire. I grew up with a cousin who had a fear of darkness. He'd rather cry and roll on the ground than enter a dark room. Seeing him do this was always hilarious. My siblings also had their own fears, and for some time, I thought I was built differently- without fears. With time, I realized that I had my own fear- the fear of heights- which made my bones shrink, my hands shiver and my heart pump faster. Despite our differences, one thing remains constant; we all have fears and they hold us back from obtaining/ achieving certain things.

To some extent, it is natural to experience fear, however, it becomes dangerous when it messes with our mental health, work, and daily activities. Of all the types of fears, one that can take a huge toll on us is the fear of the unknown. Just as the name implies, the fear of what you do not know. The fear of what lies ahead. The uncertainty of outcomes and life events. I understand that the best way to deal with fears is to face them head on, but this isn't an easy task.

I grew up with a strong woman. Growing up, my mom never showed sign of weakness when it comes to bothering about what lies ahead. Even when things were tough and it seemed like there was no way ahead, she stood strong, not losing hope. At that time, things were really tight for us. My sister had just gained admissionninto the university and my parents had taken a huge loan to settle her bills. It was that same time that I also got into the university and a gigantic amount of bills to cover. My parents had spent their savings on my sister’s admission. I was scared. “What if I end of losing this admission,” “what if my parents are unable to cover the fees?” I’d always express my concerns to my mother, instaed of panicking, she’d always assure me that everything will go well and in the end, they did.

The fear of the unknown creeps in because we don’t know what is going to happen in the future. Sometimes it is difficult to not let our minds wander and think about negativity. We think about the worst case scenarios, and this thoughts causes our fears, messing with our mental health. We ask ourselves questions like; what if I don’t get it? What if something bad happens? For if something goes wrong? Again, I understand that the best approach to win against your fears is to battle them head on. But, how do you expect people to face their fears when the situation seems ugly. Sometimes, the fear of the unknown is unavoidable.

A few months ago, I experienced difficulties with one of my school courses. Ever since I got the university, I had never experienced such a complex course. Not only was it complex, but it also was bulky. We had three different lecturers for that course and to make matters a case none of them taught us well. All they did was drop PDFs and tell us to read. The situation got to its vertex when they dropped new PDFs a day before the exam. My friend and I were really scared about this exam, asking ourselves questions like; what if they bring out questions that we are unable to answer? What if we don’t know what to write? Even after the exam, I was worried to the bones about the results; what if I don’t pass the exam well.

I have come to realize that I, like many people out there, experience the fear of the unknown. Although it happens in rear occasions, I cannot acknowledge the fact that it is still there. The truth is that I do not know the strategies to battle the fear of unknown, but one thing that has helped me is seeking support and talking to friends. To battle the fear of the unknown, share them with your close friends or family. People who wouldn't judge you. A problem shared is half solved.

@hopestylist, I’d like to hear your take on this topic in the comment section. I'm sure you'd have better answers on how to battle the fear of the unknown.

This is my entry to the inleo prompt for day 18. The topic is; Fear of the unknown. How do you affront it?

Thanks for reading.