Living with anxiety can be difficult, especially when you feel like your anxiety symptoms are too far out of your control. Anxiety and irrational fear go hand in hand sometimes, as people with anxiety may dwell on a few distressing thoughts that could never have the possibility of happening. Irrational fears are commonly known as phobias, which persist as a fear of something specific without cause.

Even though you might feel anxiety regarding specific situations, the most important thing to remember is that your fear could be irrational. You might have anxiety over a situation that will never happen. While you may not know where your stress came from, you can learn how to overcome irrational fears pretty easily. All it takes is some dedication.

1. Try Breathwork

If your body is in a panic, you must do what you can to calm yourself down before dealing with the cause of your fear. By breathing deeply, you can force your heart to slow down to a rhythm you feel you can control better. Take deep, slow breaths that you can feel in your whole body. Over time, you should calm down enough to start dealing with other anxiety symptoms.

2. Make a Plan

The next time this situation happens, you want to feel prepared. Creating a contingency plan is one way to get ahead of your anxiety. If you ever feel intense anxiety symptoms, what will you do next?

You could make a plan for how to deal with it, such as finding ways to ground yourself or affirmations to tell yourself. When you have a plan, even if the situation seems unmanageable, you’ll feel more confident in yourself.

3. Stay Mindful

The best way to keep your anxiety at bay is to stay in the present. If you’re afraid of something happening in the future, remind yourself that you’ll deal with it when the time comes. For now, stay aware of the things in your present so you don’t miss out on life.

Taking a walk on one of your breaks can help you decrease your anxiety symptoms. Focus on yourself when you’re moving and you’ll start to feel more present in the world around you.

4. Reward Yourself for Progress

When you notice yourself starting to make some progress, reward yourself. You deserve to recognize that you’re doing exceptionally well in teaching yourself how to overcome irrational fears.

Rational fears are plausible fears that might happen, but irrational fears have no place in your headspace. It’s best to kick them to the curb when you can. And when you’ve been managing your symptoms well enough, it’s time to treat yourself to some good food or a purchase you’ve been eyeing.

5. Remember the Evidence

Often, irrational fears don’t have any evidence behind them. It might seem silly to be afraid of something that has no chance of happening, but that’s what irrational fears are. Just try to go over the evidence for something you’re scared of happening in the future. If you can’t come up with anything, you’ll know it’s an implausible scenario.

Knowing whether your fear has evidence to support it is a great way to separate rational fears from irrational ones. When you feel your anxiety symptoms start to rear their ugly heads, ask yourself what evidence you have for the thing making you feel this way. If you can’t pinpoint which fear is causing you anxiety, focus on calming yourself down first.

6. Consider Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of therapy that relies on behavior change. You pinpoint the negative thoughts and actions and change them into positive ones.

The practice has helped people defeat several things, such as reducing their depression or anxiety symptoms and eliminating anger issues. CBT might be vital for you as you learn how to overcome irrational fears.

7. Talk to Others

When in doubt, talk to someone about your fears. Even if your loved one doesn’t understand where you’re coming from, they’ll understand that it’s putting you through a lot of pain. Your loved ones will reassure you that you have nothing to worry about.

While it can be nice having a friend or family member in your corner, you should strive to learn how to overcome irrational fears on your own – just in case that loved one isn’t always around to help.

Learn How to Overcome Irrational Fears

Knowing how to overcome irrational fears can vary by the individual and it can be trickier for some than others. You just have to focus on when your anxiety symptoms arise and what you might be thinking about whenever you start to feel worried. Over time, you may realize that you have nothing to worry about at all.

By taking active measures to combat your anxiety, you’ll likely feel its effects on you less as time goes on. Remember to prioritize yourself and your health through this process. You’ll feel brand-new before you know it.