Fears are Holding Us Back and Here's How We Can Face Them

By Maggie Carey

Edited by Taylor Morgan

Milica Andjusic / @andjusic_milica on Pinterest

As we go through life as college students, we want to live fully and embrace all the opportunities that come our way. Oftentimes, though, there is an invisible barrier blocking us: fear. It may not always look like panic, but it is something that we might not even notice. It can come up as procrastination, overthinking or even that voice in the back of our heads that says “no, not yet.” We all have fears that hold us back from reaching our full potential, and once we name them, we take that power away and begin to embrace what has been hiding behind fear this whole time. 

Fear of Failure

One of the most common fears, and also the most paralyzing, the fear of failure, holds us back from a lot of things. We hold ourselves back from starting projects, pursuing passions and even taking risks because we always think, “What if I am not good enough? What if I fail?” The reality of this is that failure is something that we are going to come across on any path in life. It’s expected, and it's not the complete opposite of success; it’s simply a part of the process that leads to it. One way to face failure is to redefine it as feedback and start with small mistakes. This way, you can redirect your thinking to make it more positive and remind yourself that being done is better than being perfect. Completing an action can help you understand that you learn by doing and not procrastinating until you are ready. 

Fear of Change

The fear of change is something that a lot of people grapple with in life. It often feels like standing on the edge of the known and unknown, and wondering if you should take that leap or not. Even though we might be unhappy with where we are, staying put seems like a better option than stepping into uncertainty. Even with these fears, life will keep changing, and you have to adapt to it, so how do we face this? Well, to start, you can focus on what you can control, whether that be your attitude, effort or even response to whatever uncharted situation lies ahead. You can also change one step at a time; there is no need to jump off the edge without checking first! Remind yourself, you have gone through change before, you moved away from home!

Fear of Your Own Potential

Something that a lot of people look past, the fear of your own potential, sometimes is the biggest thing holding you back. It hides behind the fear of failure because you are too scared to realize just how powerful you really are. When you step into your full potential, you let go of excuses and step out of your comfort zone, and show a whole new side of yourself that you didn’t even know existed. To do this, visualize yourself as someone you look up to and ask yourself, “What would they do?” Another way is to surround yourself with people who see what you can be, not hold you down, and allow yourself to grow, even if it means you are outgrowing certain people. 

Fear will always be something that is in the back of your mind, whether that be socially, academically or simply personally. Although fear is something that can hold you back, you don’t have to erase it; you just have to stop letting it drive your decisions. Acknowledge what scares you the most and face it, and by doing this, you reclaim your freedom from fear and start living more fully.