How to Resolve Your Fears in Sobriety

Everyone gets afraid at some point in their lives. For some people, their fears push them to be better, and for others, their fears push them back altogether. In order to compensate for the fear that paralyzes them, they will often turn to drugs and alcohol to numb out being afraid. 

Your fears are mostly an innate response to a situation which made you feel afraid, vulnerable, in harm’s way, or helpless. There are also fears that come from following the lead with your family of origin or witnessing situations that did not necessarily happen to you but made you so frightened that you developed the fear anyway. 

For instance, if you watched a loved one fall into an open manhole which caused permanent damage to their leg by viewing blood or seeing a bone sticking out of their skin, you may never trust walking over a manhole again. Keeping your distance from a manhole, even if you visibly see that manhole does have a cover, could be the response to your unresolved fears. 

Another example could come from having the President of the United States elected from a different political party than what yours is. To have to accept a platform that is foreign in your beliefs, and not what you want for the country, could lead you to develop a fear that might consume your everyday thought. Although history has shown that our country remains resilient in the midst of the changing parties in the White House, the fear of the unknown could make your brain retaliate with your own conspiracy theories. Instead of having faith in the checks and balances that the government is founded on will work, you are in a state of panic that the country will go down in flames.  

Fears result from these anxious feelings and emotions which are irrational and intangible in nature making them difficult to resolve without a plan of action. Taking the time to inventory what your fears are and to see how they affect your daily life is a critical process that will assist in giving you the freedom of walking through some really scary circumstances with a plan of action. 

Identify what the fear is.

Taking time to understand what you are truly afraid of will set you on the path to having more knowledge and knowledge is power. Your fear wants to hang over you, but you can take them over by identifying what the fear is. Sometimes what we think we are afraid of is really something else in disguise which is why the identification process is so crucial when trying to work through your fear. 

Acknowledge that you have the fear.

You probably already know what your fear is. You just have not taken the time to face the fear head-on. Choosing to consistently suppress your fears by overlooking it means that nothing will change. Unresolved fears will eventually take over your life in different ways such as in how you treat others and living with unnecessary stress. Taking time to acknowledge your fears will lead you into the direction to resolve them.

Accept that you have the fear.

Acknowledging and accepting the fear are two different things entirely. Accepting the fear means that you are ready to move forward and take that fear by the horns. You are consenting to do whatever you can to find out about the fear which is a powerful tool to combat it. Taking the time to journal about it, talk about it, and get prepared to resolve it, means that you are letting your fear know who is really boss. 

Believe you can resolve the fear.

At this point, you must be willing to go to any lengths to resolve your fear. By believing that you can let go, you will gain some self-esteem and confidence that was probably lacking due in part to the angst holding you back. Resolving your fears straight up will set you free, so believe that you can, and you will. 

The thing to understand about fears is that you will never be rid of fears completely. Once you resolve one, just know another fear will come about because you would not be human if you did not have any anxiety. While this may seem like a hopeless cycle of fear, you will continue to become stronger once you get on the other side of them. The more fears you resolve, the better you will become at having faith to trust that you will be just fine. 

If you continue to avoid your fears altogether you will no doubt continue to be spiritually, mentally, and physically sick. By resolving your fears as they come about, you will definitely become a better of your version of yourself.

Offering a full range of recovery and mental health services, Valiant Living offers “Expanded Recovery” to enrich our clients’ lives in mind, body, and spirit. Through evidence-based therapy options and the endless adventure of Colorado, Valiant fosters connection, encouraging clients to get connected to themselves, their peers, their families, and their higher power. With the power of recovery, clients are restored to full health and experience life-changing healing. Call us today for more information: 303-536-5463