9 Face a fear

Remember when you were small and your mother warned you that the bogeyman would come and get you

Remember when you were small and your mother warned you that the bogeyman would come and get you? So now, you're afraid of the ghost of a dead woman that you can sense standing behind you at 3 am when you stumble out of bed to visit the bathroom.

Fear has a different face for different people. A rodent, a lizard, ghosts, water, heights, intruders, fire, creepy cockroaches, pigeons, spiders, cats, darkness, roller-coaster rides, crowdsu2026 the list is endless.

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"Everybody has some fear and for many it is associated with childhood. Some even fear fear itself, but the emotion is necessary," points out psychiatrist Dr Anjali Chhabria, "After all, a six-year-old has to fear crossing the road so that he won't do it alone." Dr Chhabria lists many more common fears, like that of losing somebody, commitment phobia or even of stuffed toys.

A great way to conquer your fear, say experts, is by using your imagination. It isn't necessary to do something as drastic as bungee-jump off a cliff if you have fear of heights. "You're not a failure if you can't do that," states Dr Chhabria, "It's even a victory if you can go up to the second floor."

Admitting your fear, in fact, is half the battle won. When you accept it, say experts, you take little steps towards overcoming it.u00a0