by Margaret Graham

Created on: March 08, 2009

Why it is never too late to conquer fear

It is never too late to conquer fear for several reasons. Depending on the object one fears and the intensity of the anxiety one feels it may be necessary to overcome the fear for self preservation.

One example which comes to mind is an unusually story. Each month a group of ladies met to play cards taking turns as hostess in their home. Most of the ladies were very elderly and had to rely on others for a ride. This particular month, my mother was hostess and lived in an apartment building on the fourth floor. Another poor soul was terrified elevators. She could not climb the stairs and felt sad about missing out on the social evening. At about 75 years of age she did not have much of a social life. Fear was preventing her from living the life she wanted.

After much persuasion, she allowed me to accompany her in the elevator. I had the lady talk continuously throughout the ride. I told her to keep the conversation going until we arrived at mother's apartment. The lady was amazed how a simple trick like talking helped her overcome her fear. At 82 years of age, this lady was in hospital. She had to make trips up and down in the elevator daily for tests etc. She articulated to everyone that she talked throughout the rides in the elevator to avoid fear. She was so pleased with herself for her power over the elevator. One would think she had conquered Mount Everest. By conquering her fear before entering the hospital, she was able to help herself be rehabilitated sooner. The anxiety she previously suffered would have been detrimental to her ability to recover as quickly.

This lady realized that even though she could not ride in an elevator for the first 75 years of her life, being in a wheelchair there is no other way to get up or down the building's levels. She does not go out of her way to get into elevators she says, but when it is necessary she no longer hyperventilates, breaks out in a sweat, and cries at the thought of the ride. She does wish she had found her "little secret" out before but is nonetheless glad she has it now.

Fear is an emotion which one should try their best to conquer. Say you are terrified of needles. This can be detrimental to your health and also your social life. You need to have shots to go on vacation to several countries. If you do not conquer your fear and have the shots, you may get very ill while away. No matter how long you have embraced your fear it is possible and beneficial to give it

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