Fears are a great thing we can experience as humans. They protected us from harm to our physical, emotional or psychological well-being. But unfortunately, although they became useless over time, many fears remained wired in our brain.
In a horror movie, for example, you confront yourself with a fictional threat, so you feel the urge to escape. You get into Walter Cannon’s popular fight or fly mode. In cinema, this can yet be enjoyable. But how do you handle situations indistinguishable from a real threat?
I discovered that confronting myself with a worst-case scenario helped me to overcome such situations. I then imagine the ultimate negative situation happening and check if it's actually that threatening to me.
In my experience this results not only in a more conscious state but also allows me to think more rational about the situation. Mostly it's not even important if the worst-case really feels like one because the consciousness changes my perception.
I think that we often fear the unknown part and the uncertainty. Confronting yourself with a worst-case make it clear what can actually happen. This helped me many times to solve daily fears and challenges.
Important: Keep in my mind that confronting yourself with a worst-case takes energy and time. Try to do it in the right situation. If possible, ask a friend to do with you together.
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