How to overcome fear

Franklin Roosevelt has rightly said, �There is nothing to fear but fear itself.� People have different fears. Some fear insects, some heights, some fear water and some even have a fear that they will die of some unspeakable disease. If you learn to face your fears, you can overcome fear, whatever it might be. Here we will look at some common fears and what steps you can take in overcoming fear.

The first is wedding nerves. A good way to get rid of wedding nerves is delegating the work. Prepare a list of things that you have to do beforehand. Then you can decide who will handle what work. Take help from family and friends by giving them simple work like bringing home the gifts and you will soon find a huge load off your shoulders. Think about what you will need every step of the way. Do not keep anything for the last minute. Last minute problems always cause stress. If something does go wrong, don�t panic. Keep cool. It happens with everyone. Some things are not in your control and you have to accept that. Practice deep breathing, it helps. Wedding preparations are always hectic. Do take a well deserved break from the madness. You can try and go for a relaxing massage to a spa. The best way to break from the tension is to hire a wedding planner. He will take care of all the details and ensure that everything runs smoothly.

The next is the fear of public speaking or presentation nerves. No matter how many times you have done a presentation, you will always feel jittery about standing in front of a group and making a good presentation. You feel like everyone�s eyes are probing through you. There is so much silence around, your throat feels dry. But there is a way to fight the presentation nerves. The important thing to do here is practice. When you are presenting, you should not need any notes, such should be your preparation. You can then concentrate on making the right impression on the audience and your confidence will show. You can practice in front of family, friends or even a mirror. Use an ice breaker. That can help you connect with the audience immediately. When the audience relaxes, you relax too and half the battle is won there itself. Set up the laptop, projector and projector screen and test it before the audience arrives. If there are any handouts, keep them ready. Make sure that you form an impression in the beginning itself as the audience decide whether they should be paying attention to you in the first 5 minutes.

The last is driving test nerves. How you handle the nerves will decide whether you will pass with flying colors or fail every time like Spongebob. Know what vehicle you are going to be giving the driving test in. Every car is different. It accelerates and brakes differently and has different bonnet size. It provides different levels of difficulty. So make sure you take the car which you have practiced in. Avoid taking a test in a large vehicle. Find out from your driving school which are the usual routes that you have to drive on and practice on them. Arrive for the test on time.

Follow these tips and see your fears disappear into thin air!

Claire Aitken is author of this article on Wedding Nerves. Find more information about Overcoming Fear here.