Q: What is fear?
A: An unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm.

So what actually happens when you experience fear?

You may experience increased heart rate, faster breathing or shortness of breath, butterflies, sweating and chills and trembling muscles. These symptoms can vary in their degrees from being mild to completely debilitating - but how do you get over them so they don’t impact your daily life?

Ask yourself:

• What are your fears?
• Why are you so fearful of them?
• Where did your fears come from, and when did they start?
• How do you face them, and learn to conquer or control them?

It’s good to talk it through with someone, such as a spiritual and reiki healer or a hypnotherapist who can help trace back to the origins of when your fears manifested.

You may get a better understanding of why you are afraid, which will in turn help determine how you face them and then you can begin your journey in trying to overcome them.

Worcester’s way to help face and fight your fears:

Take time out to clear your mind as it’s probably about to simultaneously implode and explode with fear and anxiety.

Calm yourself down with some deep breathing, a walk, a luxurious bubble bath, or a cold shower if you’re brave enough! Or maybe a comforting cup of herbal tea or industrial strength ‘builders brew’, some yoga or a guided meditation.

Create your own happy place which you can easily visit if/when fear strikes. This could be a beautiful beach, a summer meadow, your garden amongst the flowers, or even snuggled up in bed. This can all be achieved with the help of our wonderful hypnotherapist Joolz Raven Stewart and her guided meditations.

You need to remember that nobody is perfect and nobody’s life is perfect - that’s an unattainable goal you’re trying to achieve, so stop setting yourself up to fail.

If you're having a bad day don’t forget that tomorrow is a new day…full of hope, and that life is a gift - wake up every day and remember that.

Avoiding your fears only makes them scarier, with you building them up and up in your mind until they completely consume you, or turn you into an irrational, emotional wreck.

Whatever your fears may be, if you face them, you will begin to conquer them. Channel your self-belief and self-determination: feel the fear and do it anyway!

Take it one step at a time.

For example: if you're terrified of our eight-legged friends, we don’t recommend trying to pick them up straight away which may cause you to freeze in terror, breaking the sound barrier with your hysterics and/or pass out!

However, for starters, you can learn to cope with them being in the same room as you without running to the hills and screaming. Don’t hold your breath. Breathing at this point is particularly good. And slow deep breathing is even better, to help ground and calm yourself.

The next step might be to buy a spider catcher and gently pick them up, taking them outside, and returning them to their natural habitat.

And when you have overcome or mastered that step, maybe, in time, you will be able to pick them up; but then again, maybe you won't…however, that too is ok because you are now in a much better position and mindset than you were before.

Remember: take baby steps…it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

You will have felt the fear and learned how to deal with it, experiencing that amazing rush of adrenaline and achievement that you have done something about it... and now it’s time to give yourself a big pat on the back - perhaps even reward yourself with a celebratory treat or a night out!

There are no obstacles which we can’t overcome, especially with a little help, encouragement and knowledge. As we overcome life’s challenges, we grow that little bit more with each and every achievement, and in turn, our confidence grows too. We live in a world where anything and everything is possible - fear is just a state of mind and one you can learn to overcome.