How to be mentally prepared to face your worst fears

If there was a book on how to deal with negative situations (let’s be real, there are many self-help books out there) that was especially made for you, wouldn’t you feel the instant urge to read it? Imagine a book telling you how to deal with the loss of your loved one. Or how to recover after you’ve had a failed relationship. Or, what to do when your career path isn’t how you thought it would be- straight.

Apparently, all the answers lie with you. And while there are people out there to help you, everything has to ultimately come from you.  Most of us have an attitude of “I’ll deal with it when it happens.” And when it does happen, chances are that we feel like we’ve fallen into a well from which we can’t escape.

Darius Foroux, author of books like What It Takes To Be Free and Think Straight, feels that you can overcome any setback by being prepared for it. And the best time to do so is when you’re having a good time, instead of being in limbo when you’re experiencing a personal crisis. If you think about it, it’s quite a profound technique. There’s no question of an obstacle being thrown at you, rather, when it will hit you. Here’s an exercise he suggested for being mentally tough:

Sit or lie down at a comfortable place. Close your eyes and think of someone you’re close to. Imagine you’re having a good time with them, and the kind of joy it brings to you.

Then, picture yourself being alone in a room. And imagine getting a call informing you about the death of a loved one, and take the sadness in.

The purpose of this exercise is to temporarily make you feel negative things, so that you don’t get shocked when a bad thing strikes at you. You can do this as often as you can, for all the things you fear. It strengthens you, and reduces the effect of adversities. But don’t overdo it; you don’t want to be stuck in a loop of constant negativity.

In the end, gratitude is all that matters, even if it’s fuelled by fear. You will eventually realise that you’re lucky to have whatever you currently possess. And for all the things that you’ve ignored so far because you think that you can’t deal with them, know that you already have started dealing with them.