10 Tips to Overcome Irrational Fears

  • Apr 06, 2023
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How to overcome irrational fears

We find ourselves in a world full of questions and questions and when thinking about some situations that lack reason, we are surprised to realize that people live with fears that seem illogical and without a solution apparent. In these cases, it is possible that we question certain things such as why fear something unknown that does not represent a danger? Is it normal to maintain a distance relationship with the feared objects of everyday life?

The truth is that these moments are more frequent than you think and can lead to problems establishing social, work, friendly, loving, family ties, among others. However, there are some solutions that have proven to be considerably effective in addressing this problem. In this Psychology-Online article we will provide you with information about how to overcome irrational fears.

You may also like: How to overcome the fear of elevators

Index

  1. What is irrational fear
  2. Record thoughts, emotions and behaviors
  3. Perform psychological therapy
  4. Question irrational fears
  5. Visualize positive scenarios
  6. Gradual approach to stimulus
  7. Act
  8. Perform mindfulness
  9. Take relaxing infusions
  10. take magnesium citrate
  11. distraction of thoughts

What is irrational fear.

Irrational fear is an anxiety disorder characterized by the presence of a persistent feeling of fear facing objects and/or situations that do not present an objective danger and real to the person. The fact of being irrational is due to the fact that there is no logical cause that can justify the behaviors, emotions and thoughts related to what is feared.

However, a psychological treatment can allow us to investigate the causes that cause the emergence of irrational fear. In general terms, this type of clinical picture is usually associated with episodes of anxiety that increase sensations. Below we will explain some ways to overcome irrational fears.

How to overcome irrational fears - What is irrational fear

Record thoughts, emotions and behaviors.

This alternative is often used in some psychotherapeutic treatments. In short, it consists of become aware of sensations that the person experiences in front of the feared situations or objects. When it is possible to establish an adequate distance through writing, it is possible to adopt a more objective position in relation to the way of acting.

Perform psychological therapy.

Another of the most effective ways to treat irrational fears is by performing psychological therapy. Psychological therapy is one of the best resources to deal with anxiety situations caused by irrational fears.

Psychological treatments provide tools to cope with these types of moments in a more pleasant way and carry out actions that invalidate the fears that arise in these cases.

How to overcome irrational fears - Perform psychological therapy

Question irrational fears.

On some occasions, people perceive as real those internal fears they feel because they do not question them. In this way, the consistency of irrational fear increases and insecurities arise that last over time.

For this reason, questioning these situations allows us to face them with a more realistic vision of the facts. In any case, understanding that these are scenarios created by the mind usually alleviates these fears.

Visualize positive scenarios.

Visualization is another tool used in anxiety situations that when put into practice can generate favorable results for those who use it. Therefore, when faced with the appearance of irrational fears, it is convenient appeal to the imagination of positive moments instead of fantasizing negative results.

Undoubtedly, changing the point of view is essential to resolve the conflicts that can cause these fears. In this article we explain how to be more optimistic.

Gradual approach to the stimulus.

This technique consists of make contactwith the object or the feared situation progressively . In this way, the impact it produces can be less and allows one to dissipate one's own insecurities. Taking the phobia of dogs as an example, one possibility would be to go from looking at a photo to petting an animal for several hours. It should be noted that it is a process that varies in time depending on the person.

Act.

Irrational fears produce a series of incessant thoughts that last over time. This can be seen reflected in those people who evaluate all possible scenarios before making a decision. In these cases, an uncertainty is generated that is not useful. For this reason, act without overthinking about that moment can be an interesting tool to combat an irrational fear.

Perform mindfulness.

Mindfulness is a practice that consists of removing consistency from negative thoughts and emotions related to specific situations. The objective of this methodology is produce mental relaxation that allows to dissolve the irrational fears that appear in the daily life. In this article you will find some mindfulness exercises for beginners that can help you.

How to overcome irrational fears - Perform mindfulness

Take relaxing infusions.

Another alternative that can help overcome irrational fears is theto intake of relaxing infusions. In general, the effect generated by these substances can help to reduce the mild symptoms of anxiety and allow to face moments of fear without the influence of a body and a mind nervous. Among the best-known infusions, lavender, lemon balm, lime, passion flower or valerian stand out, among others.

Take magnesium citrate.

magnesium citrate produces a relaxation of the central nervous system, which positively affects coping with stressful situations. For this same reason, this supplement can be a great ally to combat irrational fears.

However, to consume it properly, it will be necessary to gradually increase the dose until reaching the maximum tolerance of the organism.

Distraction of thoughts

Another option to deal with irrational fears is to turn to other thoughts to avoid flight reactions against the stimuli that may be presented. In this sense, those ideas that are taken as a reference should be relieving that really help to overcome irrational fear.

This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to How to overcome irrational fears, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

Bibliography

  • Bados, A. (2009). Specific phobias. Faculty of Psychology Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment. University of Barcelona.
  • Delgado Reyes, A.C., Sánchez López, J.V. (2019). Fear, phobias and their treatments. Electronic Journal of Psychology Iztacala, 22 (2), 798-833.
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