essay about my fear

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The official magazine for TIPsters in 4th–6th grade

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.

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.

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.

Personal Narrative Essay: My Fear

Fear is something that has always been a factor in my life. Wither it be for the good or a downfall. I've come to realize that it will always be there. Lately, I've reflected on things in my life that would have gone different if fear wasn't a factor, and things that have happened that fear didn't stop.

When I first started college I had a lot of fear, fear if I would get a rejection letter, fear my friends would go their separate ways. So when it was time to choose where I wanted to go I chose Morehead state, I got in! However as fate would have it, I would not have the funds to go. That didn't stop me from my dread of graduating and getting a degree. I got to stay home and attend Big sandy and start working at the hospital as a CNA. However, I still had the fear that I couldn't possibly work and go to school. But I continued, at first wasn't doing too hot in my classes so I had to withdraw.

My dream has always been to be a nurse, so withdrawing from my classes was a struggle. It had been two years since I had attended school when my friend suggested I take summer classes and apply for the nursing program with her. So I did, and to my surprise fear didn't get in the way and I completed those classes. That fall I applied for the program and again to my surprise I got in, all my hard work was paying off finally.

January came and the first day of nursing school started, I passed my Dosage calculations test. I passed my first content exam. Everything was going how I wanted it, then came my first skills exam. That morning fear overcame me and I failed. I got a second attempt and passed. As the semester went on I struggled with the fear of failing, and ultimately had to withdraw from the program.

Fear will always be a factor in my life, it has got the best of me in many situations. I will overcome it. I'm reapplying to get back in the nursing program this fall. Fear will always be a factor in my life but I will not allow it to stop me from chasing my dreams.

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Fear: Definition, Effects, and Overcoming Essay

Effects of fear, how to overcome fear.

Webster’s dictionary defines fear as “an unpleasant, sometimes strong emotion caused by an anticipation or awareness of danger” or “anxious concern” Fear is a feeling that causes agitation and anxiety mostly caused by presence or imminence of danger. It is a state or condition marked by feeling of agitation or anxiety. It can also be described as a feeling of disquiet. Fear is an abstract concept and may have different meanings. Holder (2007) adds that fear is more pervasive when there is lack of faith that we have greater significance in the universe than what we own or how others perceive us.

Fear is manifested in many ways in human beings. It may manifest as showing signs of withdrawing or by cowering. But the most profound manifestation of fear is anger and hatred. People acts out their insecurity as anger which shows that they are the most fearful people.

Effects of fear have been documented in many studies. Fear has been documented to case mind paralyses, heart attacks and closure of fallopian tube due to fear of pain during child birth (Jim Rohn, 2004), describes fear, indifference, indecision, doubt, worry and timidness as the five greatest enemies within us which can destroy our lives completely. Fear may manifest itself in physical short term effects or affect your whole life. It will affect both he physiology of the body and the brain. Fear generates stress which manifests itself physically in many signs physically and emotionally. It causes judgmental errors and affects our reasoning that most of time when we are in a fearful situation; we tend to take the wrong action.

According to Sidney B., (1988), fear is a great paralyzer. It will keep you from making positive changes in your life and thus retard your recovery from depression. He continues to argue that fear persuades you to set easier goals and do less than your capability. It will also cause internal defense system fooling you that you have good reasons not to change. Fear of failure reduces the available alternatives you can pursue because you cannot stand by the outcome of what you do. You always feel that you cannot succeed in anything you try. It will keep you away from seeking help because you don’t want others to see you as a failure. Fear has been identified by psychologist as what causes people to give up when they are one step short to their goal. It will keep you stuck or make you develop unhealthy habits and behavior problems. Most of all fear keeps many people from taking risks.

Rim Rohn, (2004), argues that we are not born with courage, neither are we born with fear. He argues that some of our fears are brought on by our own experiences by what someone has told us or what we read in papers and books. Sri Swami Sivananda, (2007), describes fear as an illusion that cannot live. He suggests that to overcome fear we should always feel the presence of a Supreme Being watching us, by meditating and developing positive thoughts all the time. We should devote ourselves to eradicating fear. Since we have seen that fear is developed within our minds, it can also be eradicated within our mind and hence it is just a matter of reconditioning our minds that will help us overcome fear. It is also suggesting that we should share with others our fears. In this way they will help us find solutions to the cause of fears. President Roosevelt said, “We have nothing to fear but the fear itself” hence fearing fear starts and ends with us.

Holder P. (2007): FEAR… YOUR WORST ENEMY . Web.

Rohn, J., (2004). Build courage to face the enemies within. Web.

Sidney S., (1998). Getting Unstuck: Breaking through Your Barriers to Change . Web.

Sri Sivanand, S. (2007). The Divine Life Society: How to overcome fear. Web.

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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

Fear can affect our daily life. It can stop us from doing things we want to do. It can make us feel anxious or stressed. It can even cause physical symptoms like a fast heartbeat or sweating. So, it’s important to manage our biggest 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

The biggest fear is not always something that can hurt us physically. It can be something that makes us feel bad inside. For many people, their biggest fear is failure. This could mean not doing well at school, not being good at sports, or not being liked by friends. This fear can make us feel very bad and stop us from trying new things.

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

Fear can have a big effect on our lives. It can stop us from doing things we want to do. If you are scared of heights, you might not want to go on a roller coaster. If you are scared of failure, you might not try out for the school play. Fear can also make us feel stressed and anxious. It can make it hard to sleep, eat, or focus on our work.

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.

In conclusion, fear is a natural part of life. Our biggest fear is the one that scares us the most. It can come from past experiences, learned behavior, or our imagination. Fear can have a big impact on our lives, but we can learn to overcome it. By facing our fears and talking about them, we can become braver and more confident. Remember, it’s okay to be scared. What’s important is that we don’t let our fears stop us from living our lives to the fullest.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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

Essay on Biggest Regret In Life
Essay on Biggest Mistake Of My Life
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Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

32 Ways To Write About Fear

In this post, we have included 32 things for you to consider when you write about fear .

One of our most popular posts on Writers Write is 37 Ways To Write About Anger . We thought we would look at interesting ways to write about other emotions, including:

43 Ways To Write About Love
29 Ways To Write About Happiness
40 Ways To Write About Empathy
37 Ways To Write About Grief

In this post, we look at writing about fear .

How do we write about fear in an authentic way?

Fear is a vital response for human beings. If we didn’t feel fear, we couldn’t protect ourselves from threats. Our bodies and brains are wired to treat threats as life-threatening. This triggers an extreme fight-flight-or-freeze response.

Our fears are not solely dependent on instinctive responses. They are also shaped by our societies and cultures, which teach people when to fear and how much to fear.

Sometimes, our fear is unnecessary and we avoid doing things that could be beneficial to us. Sometimes, facing danger can result in lingering responses that trigger us to act in a certain way, even when the risk is gone.

The same is true for the characters we create. When we write about fearful characters, we should remember to write about them in a realistic way.

Here are 32 things to consider when you write about fear:

A) Physical Reactions

When we are afraid, we have these reactions:

An accelerated breathing rate
An accelerated heart rate
Increased muscle tension
Goose bumps
Increased blood glucose
Increased white blood cells
Sleep disturbances
Butterflies in the stomach
Difficulty concentrating
Difficulty swallowing

All of these responses help us to survive by either running away or fighting. Use these physical reactions to show your character is afraid.

B) Body Language

In your body language, signs of fear include:

Hunching shoulders
Shrinking away
Wrapping arms around oneself
Shaking hands
Rocking from side to side

C) Rational Or Irrational?

Fear is rational. It is a reasonable response to danger.
Phobias are irrational. They are persistent, irrational fears of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it. Read: Writing About Characters With Phobias

D) Ways To Create Conflict With Fear

There are three classic ways people respond to fear. They fight, flee, or freeze. Use these responses to create suspense in your book.

Fight – choose when your characters would reasonably stay to confront the danger.
Flight – choose when your character would reasonably choose to run away.
Freeze – choose when your character would realistically become paralysed with fear.

Use these three responses at different times to show different aspects of your character. Use them when they suit your plot.

[TOP TIP: Use our Character Creation Kit to help you create great characters for your stories.]

E) The Importance Of Fear In Plotting

You can create a fearful situation to move a plot forward.
You can literally change the setting by making characters move to avoid a threat.
You can increase or decrease the pace of a story by introducing a threat.
You can show another facet of the character in the way he or she reacts to fear.
You can use it to show growth. Characters can look at the way fear made them act and change their behaviour.

Top Tip : Find out more about our workbooks and online courses in our shop .

If you liked this article , you may enjoy

37 Ways To Write About Anger
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7 Ways To Create Suspense In Your Memoir
Body Language , Creating Characters , Description , Show Don't Tell , Writing Tips from Amanda Patterson

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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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