Humans were born with two fears; fear of falling, and fear of loud noises. According to the Oxford dictionary, fear is "an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm", but this definition is only one of many to define the term of 'fear '. Fear is events that we perceive to be dangerous to ourselves and to others. Fear is something that everyone possesses, and when conquered, turns into achievement. Before we discuss what defines fear, a clear line must be drawn between fear and anxiety. Many people confuse fear for anxiety and vice versa. The difference is that fear is an emotional response to a danger that is real or a threat, while anxiety is thinking about future threats for long periods of time. In other …show more content…
Even though fear creates strong emotions of displeasure, fear is not necessarily bad. Without fear, one could never learn how to overcome obstacles and feel a sense of achievement at the end of it. One fear I had a long time ago, was called achluophobia, or fear of the dark. This fear would absolutely terrify to the point that I could not sleep without light and would stay up if there was no light to drive away the nightmares that came with it. Over time, I began to realize that I could overcome this fear, it was possible. When my sister and I would have separate rooms, I decided to appeal to the logical part of my brain about my fear of the dark, telling myself that total darkness allows one to fall into the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) stage faster. Armed with this knowledge, I slept for the first time without light and woke up with no nightmares and feeling well-rested. By overcoming that fear, it changed the way I looked at what fear really was. In conclusion, fear is moments that are considered to be dangerous from an emotional standpoint but is actually the key to feeling a sense of pride and courage when one overcomes these obstacles. What I had regarded as a useless function of emotions just meant to keep people from their potential, I discovered that it was the opposite; fear is meant to allow people to recognize their limits, and have them motivated to push past them, to reach your true potential in