In notes kept over a number of years, I have collected a variety of methods for overcoming fear. These are mostly “psychological type” fears such as fear failure, fear of rejection or fear of disapproval. The methods heavily emphasize tactics that prevent fears from arising in the first place.

To overcome fear, people need to first refute their irrational beliefs. In cognitive psychology, this is a favorite techniques and is particularly suited to fears of disapproval. Some of the ways people formulate irrational beliefs are by:

l. All or nothing thinking… you see things in black and white categories; if your performance falls short of being perfect, you see your self as a total failure.

2. Overgeneralization… you see a single negative happening as a never-ending pattern of defeat, or rejection, etc. Continued