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How Difficult It Is To Beat Your Fear? – Dare To Break Free

Dare To Break Free – Taking The Plunge To Beat My Fear

Holi is a major festival celebrated in India with a lot of enthusiasm! The festival of colors is considered to bring joy and prosperity. Imagine a girl who is afraid to celebrate this festival, not because she doesn’t like it but because she has some unusual fears.

Fear is a human emotion and there is no one in the world who hasn’t ever experienced it. Those who are close to me and know me well, know about my fear as well. Since childhood I have had a major fear- which is the fear of colored faces ! Yes, you read this right! This sounds unusual to many but ask me and I can vouch that this fear is very much real. I have never celebrated the festival of Holi in my childhood and I still don’t celebrate it at the age of 30!

Fear is an unpleasant yet powerful emotion that takes hold of you and makes you frightened and worried. If not overcome on time, it tends to take a shape of phobia and impacts the person mentally and emotionally. And so its important to conquer your fears and dare to break free.

My fear of colored faces is an unexplained one. Since childhood, I can’t bear the sight of a colored face, especially on the day of Holi. If I see one by any chance, I start palpitating and my heart beats fast! The face once seen haunts me for days to come and I can’t sleep with closed eyes. The very idea of touching colors or watching a colored face unnerves me and that’s the reason I never step out of my house on the day of Holi. I often fall sick, suffer from high temperature around this time of the year due to my unusual phobia.

People often ask me – why afraid of colored faces! They don’t harm you. They probably don’t harm me but surely impact my mind and take my peace away. I don’t know how to explain this fear of mine but all I can say it overwhelms me, kind-of consumes my soul and renders me incapable of thinking or doing anything else. On the day of Holi, I often find myself fighting a battle between my heart and my mind. My heart wants me to venture out with my family and celebrate the joyous festival but my mind that is consumed by fear pushes me to go in a hideout, leaving me weak and totally incapable.

As a child, I have faced a lot of bully in school due to this unusual fear. My friends always addressed me as  ‘Darpok’. My parents thought that may be with age I would grow brave and this fear would eventually die. Apparently, I could never overcome it fully. I became a butt of joke in front of my friends and relatives. Even till I got married I couldn’t help my self and would feel devastated and helpless. My fear had not just impacted me but also those around me. My parents and husband too stopped celebrating Holi eventually.

Last year my kids celebrated their first festival in play school and it was this festival which I dread the most. They came back home with colored faces and I realised I couldn’t see them neither go close to them. That’s when I decided I have to do something for myself. The realization struck me that the debilitating affect of my fear may impact my kids too. I want my children to be fear free. I want them to live freely and enjoy this festival fully and so I determined to take that plunge to beat my fear and dare to break free.

Dare to Break Free – How Difficult It Is To Beat Your Fear

Dare to break free

To answer the question, it isn’t easy! It requires a lot of courage to come to terms with your fear. It is usually said that the only way to overcome your fear is to face it! Well that is one important step towards it but there is a lot more that’s required.

The first and most important step is to accept your fears and talk about them. It isn’t easy to share your weakness with the world, especially when  the world is full of sadists and mockers who won’t understand the seriousness of your emotions. For me, writing this post, sharing my weakness and talking about my personal emotion is in itself a daring act and a step towards beating my fear.

Second, it’s about going slow and taking baby steps. Conquering fear isn’t an easy deal and can’t happen within a day. I was once forcefully colored by a few friends on Holi and though I met my fear closely, I still couldn’t overcome it. I realized more than anyone else helping me, I have to help myself and that can only happen if I go slow and take baby steps. Last Holi, I gathered the courage to move out of my house-  be it for a few minutes but I did take a small attempt to push my limit! It may sound silly to many but think from the perspective of someone suffering from a phobia and has never done it before- It’s HUGE!

Next, it’s about coming face to face with your fears . I often ask myself what’s the worst thing that can happen if I face my fear. Would I faint? May be yes! Would I die? Of course Not! In order to take this plunge, I have to once experience it. And so this Holi I have promised myself and my family that I will indulge in a mini celebration of colors. Probably that will be the last and final step towards breaking free from my fear. I may not enjoy it, may not even repeat it but at least I would feel liberated after it. I have already started mentally preparing myself and hopefully on the day I would garner courage to meet what I dread.

All these years of my life I have realized that fear as an emotion is shackling. It stifles your mind and suffocates your soul. To conquer it, you have to fight a personal battle with your own thoughts. And you win half the battle once you determine to help yourself and take the required steps. While I am still fighting my battle, I am glad that I have atleast taken the plunge to beat my fears and dare to break free.

Featured Image Credit- pixabay.com


This post is a part of Dare-a-thon hosted by The Momsteins. I would like to thank Preetjyot Kaur from Mylittlemuffin.com for introducing me to this blog train. I would now like to introduce Prisha from Mummasaurus.com. Hop on their blogs and read their amazing narratives of courage and dare.

 

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What have been your biggest fears? Did you ever dare to break free from them? Share your views in the comments below.

Also read a small poetic piece which I wrote long time back- Phobia: A Reflection Of My Mind

This Post Has 18 Comments

  1. Princy Khurana

    so well written and said. i loved where u say – you have to fight a personal battle with your own thoughts, its always a fight that u have to win with urself, rest can be handled ?

  2. Sinduja

    This is really brave of u Charu, to accept and try to get over your fear as well. Certain things and how we feel about them are pretty hard to explain. Sending you loads of good vibes to have a happy holi in the coming years

  3. Disha

    Overcoming any phobia takes courage. Its wonderful that you are taking baby steps for it. ?

  4. Sumira Bhatia

    Oh I have never been a fan of Holi myself. Just the agressiveness of the coloured faces is what makes me writhe really! Hehe baby steps I shall take as well I guess

  5. Mansi Ochani

    Awesome writing…I also had developed some fears over the time when I was a kid. Gradually they faded and later meant nothing…more.power to you…!! ?

  6. Avika

    Facing your fear is always easier said than done, nonetheless to move ahead and to grow in life, it has to be done.
    I suffer from anxiety. It can be triggered by anything, a new place, an old memory, occasions, travelling checklists, absolutely anything. It took me time to accept that there is something amiss although not wrong. The way you have explained the concept of baby steps is bang on. Once you dare yourself to get things in a line, it is important to take it slow and easy. And who dares wins, eventually. Good read.

  7. Disha

    Overcoming any phobia takes courage. Its wonderful that you are taking baby steps for it. Keep going. ?

  8. Loved your points for overcoming one’s fears. Facing one’s fears is the most daring step and having done that is half the bottle won. That was really an optimistic post?

  9. CloudandSunshine

    Beautifully penned! To accept and try to overcome our own fears requires a lot of courage. Kudos to you and hugs for the journey!

  10. Love the way you put this Charu! Yes it takes a lot of courage to accept, fight and break free from the fear! Our kids make us do things we never thought we could! Can so relate to this!

  11. mummatolilmissy

    Loved the piece.. this is so well written. Could have gone over and over it ..

  12. Pragnya Mishra

    Fear and phobias are terrible. And as you decided to fight back with baby steps it is a huge, huge fight. Stay strong and enjoy the next holi and years ahead.. One day you will love the festival for your courage

  13. thesimplemumma

    Amazing write up…love your points to overcome your fears…we have to face it for the sake of our kids..you all want to see our kids fearless..more power to you

  14. yogitaamitjoshi

    Overcoming Phobias Aint Easy. Love you post… its indeed amazing?

  15. We only get troubled more if we succumb to the situation. Once we start living with out fear everything slowly comes to normal order over time!

  16. Pranjal Bhawsar

    It’s just like u have described me I felt so connected I can’t tell
    but I am even today unable to overcome my fear

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