I did a search, saw a thread ABOUT fears, now I'm going to show you how to get over some of those fears, using my experience.
The Dark
Spoiler
Psh, I used to be afraid of the dark. A LOT of people are afraid of the dark. A lot of people are afraid of 2 things, whether they be together, or the separate. "Evil creatures in your imagination" and whatnot, or losing your sight.
I for one, had both. I always watched horror movies, and I would be TRAUMATIZED when in the dark. . . Well, alone anyway, whenever someone was with me, it would be all okay. A way to get over THIS version of the fear, is to simply practice. Yes, it is SCARY, but you just need to practice. What I did, was at night, go into my bathroom, set a timer, close the window curtains, and close the lights, and try to last 5 minutes. Of course this took a while, but it was well worth it in the end.
Walk around a little bit, ya know? When IN the dark, you have to be sensible to yourself. THINK. . . Do/does [enter horror movie creature here] really exist? NO! It is just a horror movie, it is just art being expressed in a visual document. These things aren't REAL, so get over it!
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For the "losing your sight" part, it is simple, really. Blindfold yourself, and learn your environment (Your house). Why are you afraid of losing your sight? Because it is hard to adapt to having no vision, and if you can't, your life is "Ruined". Well, what I did was I would walk around in the dark, bump something, know what it is, know my environment, it is done. It's as simple as that.
Now I am NOT saying all this is EASY PEASY BANANA SQUEASY, but. . . All it takes is time and practice, and you will love the results later on.
Heights
Spoiler
Now, in this category includes Rollercoasters, High altitude sports, et cetera.
Before I commence this part, one of the most MAJOR, and I mean MAJJOORRR factors to keep in mind here, is Faith and Trust. You will see what I mean as we go along.
Now, with regards to simply "heights", most people are simply afraid of either, falling, pain, or seeing the future of yourself as though you would have fallen. Now, an easy way to get over THIS is as I will explain it to you now.
Everything here links together. You fall, you're in pain at the end, and you are experiencing the "future" you envisioned. Well, what I say is, Buck up! Now, when I was afraid of heights, I would just be afraid of falling and getting hurt. A simple and logical way to get over this, would be; Jump off of railings, get at a higher height every time, and just jump off of something high enough for your to be afraid of. If you are capable of keeping your balance, squat down, and notice that your head is 6 feet above the ground (in my case), so therefore, you are assuming you are higher than you already are, by 6 feet.
Confused? Say you go on a 10 foot high, I don't know. . . Giant garbage been for all I care. When you are ON it, and are ready to jump off, you will get some major fear, but look. . . You are 10 feet above the ground, ready to jump off, but because humans have a spinal column, our heads are up high, so right now your VISION is 16 feet above the ground. Squat down to show yourself that you aren't actually that high up above the ground, and then, JUST DO IT.
The above may only work for, I'd say, 60% of people afraid of heights, but that is how I did it, maybe it's worth a try for you.
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Rollercoasters. Like the above stated, JUST DO IT. This is where faith and trust comes in. Why are you afraid of roller coasters? Because you are high above the ground, forced to do loops and whatnot, and being forced to look at the ground from a high altitude. Now. . . You are just being paranoid about falling and hurting yourself. INSTEAD, use that adrenaline you get from being on a rollercoaster, and take advantage of it. When someone is enraged, pissed off, or full of adrenaline, they can do ANYTHING, and I mean ANYTHING. So, use the adrenaline to your own advantage.
Now, with regards to the trust and whatnot. THINK. . . Do you REALLY think you are going to fall down and hurt yourself? Hmm? You are SAFELY mounted onto the seat, flying chair, ET CETERA! You are NOT going to fall! You are safely strapped to the vehicle! Have faith in your surroundings, have faith in that belt, buckle, seat, whatever! They are your savior at that moment, and they can't let you down! If a belt buckle breaks, THEN you have permission to be afraid.
Now, with regards to life events and occurrences, yes things happen, yes an OCCASIONAL accident occurs, psh, weren't you lucky it wasn't YOU? The park owners look into the situation, and do the best they can to fix this error, and make it 110% safer. So, have faith in them too. That's all I can say. Just do it!
High altitude sports, such as Bungee Jumping, read the roller coaster part, this is the EXACT same thing. Professionals are working with you, they have experience, they know what it is like, and they will do their best to make it easy for you!
As a side note: I had the WORST case of being afraid of heights. What am I doing now? I am doing Parkour and some free running with my cousin and a couple of mates. It is easy to get over your fear of heights, just takes time.
Bugs, Insects, Itty Bitty Critters
Spoiler
Hmm, let's recap to my past fear of bugs. . . Yep, I was a platypus. Afraid of bugs, spiders mostly, and whatnot. But do not fret, faith in yourself is all it takes!
Before we go on, I must state what most are afraid of; The bite, the little bugger being on your body and creeping up your arm, et cetera, and, just plain hating bugs.
Now, with regards to "the bite" MANY people are afraid of Spiders because of -dum dum dum- The Bite! So, a spider bites you? Big whoop. It's a tiny little prick that causes a little swelling. Whoop-di-doo. I stapled my finger (by accident of course) twice. That prick was just a little bit more of what a spider bite feels like. But honestly, what is a bug going to do to you?
Think about it. There are ants in your house. Ok, they are germy, disgusting little things. What are they going to do to you? NOTHING. One is on your leg, look, LOOK! It is irritating you by being there isn't it. . . Did it bite you? No. Did it to ANYTHING to you? NO. It is living its own life, but like yours, and is having a hard time because it is so small, and it is expected to survive through big things and aspects. . . Think of the earth as a giant living thing. Don't you think it is irritated by us small, annoying human beings being on it? Ofcourse. It is only normal.
Now, a bug, isn't abnormal, it is a normal living thing, I don't see why, A. You should be AFRAID of it. B. You should be scared of a tiny little bite.
Now I know a lot of you people here are about to skip the rest of the thread and come shoot me down in a post of your own about POISONOUS insects and whatnot, so here it is. Poisonous insects. Scorpions (Although not an insect, but is considered one), Tarantulas, etc, are not harmful. Much like taming a bird, you will know that a bird is very TERRITORIAL. Should you do ANYTHING to disrupt a poisonous insect, or even an insect PERIOD, then it will do its best to defend it. Tarantulas, not a dangerous insect. . . My neighbour Joel owns two of them. I, for one, don't like them. I am still a tad afraid of them, but he just takes them out, and plays with them, provided they ALLOW him to. If you have actually held one, you will know they are VERY light and delicate creatures. Not to be feared. (Please not one of his two tarantulas hasn't had its poison glands, or whatever, removed)
All in all, just don't bother an insects territory.
Now. . . With regards to other fears, such as that crazy cellophane fear in 'Without A Paddle', think about the ODDS. What are the odds that saran wrap falls out of the cupboard, and wraps around your face and blocks you from breathing? I'd say, not even POSSIBLE unless you test it for yourself and purposely do it.
If you don't feel that any of the above is suitable for you, Hey, I'm not a professional. I am a 15 year old, who went through it, and am showing you how to do it the way I did. This MAY help some, and may not. All in all, I don't care much, I just know it will be helpful to SOMEONE, and it makes me glad knowing someone was like me.
In Conclusion
Just do it, just do it, JUST EFFING DO IT! Get your adrenaline pumped, and just conquer that fear! Trust in what you know, have faith in what is there to protect you! If it fails, eh, JUST DON'T THINK ABOUT IT! Your mind controls your body, and you control your mind! YOU decided what you're afraid of, don't let your body decide.
