Ophidiophobia, Acrophobia, and Thanatophobia. Snakes, heights, and dying. These are all common fears, but everyone has their own unique fears. Although these fears are common, we all have fears that are unique to us. We try to avoid them at all costs. My cheer coach once said something that will forever stick with me: “Think of your biggest fear and attack it.” He used to say this every time before we competed and I’ll be honest, it really worked on me. Ever since then I have been motivated to attack all of my fears, like a race car zooming through the freeway. Facing our fears is something that we are encouraged to do from a very young age, and I will encourage you to face your fears—especially in this new chapter of life.
Have you ever been scared out of your mind to ride that big and fast roller coaster at the amusement park that your friend forced you to ride? Then you thought to yourself, Why was I even scared of that?? The first benefit of attacking your fear is the realization that it really wasn’t as scary as your brain stirred it up to be. When we get the idea of something in our head,we naturally overthink it. This only heightens our fear and can even make us irrational. This is why facing your fear is the best cure. Whether you’re taking that terrifying calc 2 class or trying for a big-time internship, you survived. Nothing is as bad as it seems.
Another reason to attack your biggest fear is to experience something new. Fears are constantly holding people back from the beautiful world that’s out there. For me, moving from California all the way to Alabama was definitely scary. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but at the same time I didn’t want to let my fear force me to miss out on such a cool place. In this case, attacking my fear opened me up to a new opportunity that could have potentially been wasted—if I chose to stay in my comfort zone, but I didn’t.
Fears are everywhere, and eventually they can start to consume us. However, we don’t have to let them. College is about experiencing new things and growing up, so this is your chance. Think of all your biggest fears and go out there and attack them!