HAILEY COLLEGE OF BANKING & FINANCE

UNIVERSITY OF THE PUNJAB

GROUP MEMBERS:
Azka Shoaib M18BBA011
Wajeeha Zahid M18BBA028
Muqadas Shabbir M18BBA036
Zainab Waseem M18BBA055
Noor Aimen Shahid M18BBA057
DEGREE TITLE:
BBA (Hons.) Banking & Finance
SEMESTER:
8th (2018-2022)
COURSE TITLE:
Workshop on Skills Development – II
SUBMITTED TO:
Prof. Ch Zia ur Rehman

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 Fear & its Forms
QUESTION#1
What is fear? How it works, how to destroy fear by recognizing it and how
fears are good?
Definition of fear:

Fear is an emotion that tells you to avoid or escape from an unwanted situation. That would be
helpful if you’re being stalked by a lion in the jungle, but more often fear stops you from doing
things you want to do. In fact, you probably are in constant battle with fear every day.

It’s important to note that fear only works for future events. You get scared before you do your
parachute jump out of the plane, not afterwards. And this is why fear is so dangerous. The
greatest things you can do in life are scary. Nothing good will happen to you if you sit on your
couch all day long.

Destroy fear by recognizing fear:

Recognizing your fears is extremely important for overcoming them. If you don’t know what
scares you, you’ll never do anything about it. For example, I thought about applying to grad
school for several months before I actually did it. During this time I wrestled with fear about
applying. I told myself I wasn’t good enough and not qualified for the schools I was looking into.

Eventually I realized these thoughts for what they were: fears. Eventually I overcame those fears,
applied and was accepted. What would have happened if I didn’t recognize these thoughts as
fears? What if I REALLY believed what I was telling myself?

If I had believed what fear told me, I would have missed out on a great opportunity. Fortunately I
have my ability to recognize fears. Unfortunately, many other people don’t have this ability.
They listen to their fears, believe what they’re telling themselves and stop doing what they want
to do.

How fears are good?

1. It is a useful survival mechanism.

2. Fear is the source of excitement.

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 3. Fear can be motivational.

4. Fear is irrational.

How fear works:

Fear prepares us to react to danger. Once we sense a potential danger, our body releases
hormones that:

 Slow or shut down functions not needed for survival (such as our digestive system)
 Sharpen functions that might help us survive (such as eyesight). Our heart rate increases, and
blood flows to muscles so we can run faster.

Our body also increases the flow of hormones to an area of the brain known as the amygdala to
help us focus on the presenting danger and store it in our memory.

QUESTION#2
What are the different forms of fears?

There are different forms of fear that people with anxiety face. Learning to recognize the
category helps to overcome them. The following are the different forms of fear:

1. External fear:

External fear is the easiest to recognize and mange. An external fear is defined by fear or
anxiety that is caused by an outside source. An example of this would be a fear of heights
or a fear of spiders. When a person is faced with a situation that exposes them to an
external fear, such as spiders or heights, they experience discomfort and anxiety. A
person that has a specific external fear can explore in therapy and counseling when they
were first faced with this fear. They can learn when and how they started with the
negative associations tied to external fear. Once that is explored you will learn specific
techniques in counselling and therapy to erase the negative associations that you
previously created. Hypnosis has also been shown to be an effective way to deal with
external fears.

2. Internal fear:

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 Internal fears are associated with low levels of self-worth. People who experience anxiety
from internal fears typically have low levels of confidence and self-esteem. An example
of an internal fear is doubting your capability to accomplish something, or questioning
your talents and value. In order to overcome internal fears it is important to build your
self-esteem and sense of self. In therapy you can explore with the counselor or therapist
what the root cause of your low self-worth is. Once you recognize that you can repair it
and start to build yourself up to become ready to face your insecurities head on.

3. Subconscious fear:

Subconscious fear is similar to internal fears except subconscious fears are believed to be
a part of who we really are. Subconscious fears develop into limiting beliefs.Limiting
beliefs filter how you see the world. An example of a limiting belief would be if you
think you’ll never find a job you like because every job you’ve ever had was terrible.
Limiting beliefs usually try to convince you that you’re not good enough to do
something. Because they are beliefs, they are hard to recognize and eliminate. Realize
beliefs are not facts.

QUESTION#3
What are the most common human fears?

Fears are one of the most prevalent forms of mental anxiety disorders that affect people of all
ages and interfere with daily life.

Here are the ten most common human fears:

1. Fear of loneliness:

Even people with autism, who are characterized by complete isolation and antisocial
behavior, are afraid of complete solitude. The basis of this fear has to do with the fact that
everyone aspires to be happy. But since initially humans are “social animals”, it implies
that we can feel happy only when being a part of society.

2. Fear of death:

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 This fear is common in hypochondriac and anxious people who have a rich imagination.
Such people are the main subjects of the fear of death and other similar phobias: fear of
enclosed spaces, fear of blood, fear of heights, fear of corpses, fear of pain, fear of rape
and others.

3. Social phobia (including the fear of public speaking) and agoraphobia (fear of open
spaces):

Of course, to some extent, we are all afraid to show our feelings and emotions in front of
others. However, for some people, such fear becomes obsessive and turns into a phobia.
Most of those who suffer from these fears are people with imaginative or systematic
thinking.

People of the first category have an innate creative side and being the center of attention
is a natural thing for them, so the fear of public speaking or of open spaces arises only in
consequence of certain particularities of perception. At the same time, for the people
from the second category, it is rather a fear of appearing incompetent, ridiculous or stupid
to others.

4. Fear of spiders, rats, cockroaches, snakes, airplanes, monsters, demons, mirrors,

high heels etc.:

The common point in all these phobias is that their root lies in an undeveloped
imaginative type of thinking of those people who have an innate imaginative intellect.
Such fears and phobias affect people with innate imaginative thinking and so-called
sensitive nature, such as actors, artists, models, etc. These are people who think in images
and emotions rather than logical terms.

5. Fear of intimacy:

This fear occurs not only in 16-year-olds, but is also quite common in 40-year-old men
and sometimes women. Surprisingly, this fear affects people who have increased libido
compared with others. However, these people have complicated sexuality because of a
bad first experience or deep-seated resentments and repressed emotions.

6. Fear of going crazy:

It is a rather uncommon and steady fear, which is experienced only by those who think in
abstract terms. Often these are people who aspire to explore the spiritual world and

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 cognize the universe; they are often interested in religion, philosophy and physics. These
are the people who can give birth to a brilliant idea, even if initially it may seem a little
crazy.

7. Germophobia (fear of bacteria and microorganisms):

Surely at least once in your life you’ve seen or heard about people who wash their hands
dozens of times a day, do house cleaning several times every day and cannot touch many
innocuous objects only because they are afraid to catch some dangerous virus or bacteria.

8. Fear of being a coward:

This is a purely male fear that sometimes is experienced by young people who have a
kind of innate sense of responsibility for others. These people have very developed
managerial skills and innate charisma. Some women also experience it.

9. Fear of being poisoned:

This fear is independent and usually does not correlate with other phobias. This is
because, as a rule, this fear affects people with an intuitive way of thinking. And
according to different estimations, these are no more than 5% of the total world
population.

10. Fear of getting old:

This fear is quite rare in young people but rather frequent in middle-aged women and
men, who are over 50 years old. This fear is understandable because at the biological
level, the mission of a woman is giving birth and upbringing of children, and the mission
of a man is reproduction and providing his family with food and safety.

QUESTION#4
How fear impacts the health?

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Fear is an intense emotion that is part of the human experience. It activates certain chemical
processes in our bodies that make the memories more significant and causes us to think
irrationally. Individuals who do not face their fears or overcome them may either develop
Stockholm syndrome, where they begin to cope with terrible and frightening situations by
becoming submissive and apathetic, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from long-term
exposure to fear. It is not the fear itself that can lead to serious health problems but our inability
to overcome it or logically escape it when we enter ourselves into it voluntarily. The long-term
damage from fear can damage our brains, cardiovascular system, digestive system, and lead to
premature aging or sudden death. The impact of chronic exposure to fear is also associated with
mental disorders such as clinical depression, PTSD, anxiety, and fatigue.

1. Sharpens survival function in the body:

Whenever we experience intense fear, our bodies kick into fight-or-flight mode and can
cause us to feel like Superman. The reactionary adrenal gland release (chiefly
epinephrine and norepinephrine) activated by the sympathetic nervous system sharpens
survival functions in the body. These hormones cause our blood to circulate faster to
provide instant energy to our muscles. Our eyesight, hearing, and sense of perception
become more acute. As the name implies, the fight-or-flight response was traditionally
thought to activate only the option of fleeing or fighting perceived dangers. However, it is
now believed there is also a third response when individuals become incapacitated by the
dreadful fear and are unable to react at all.

2. Increase hormone levels:

The adrenal gland increases hormone levels of catecholamines, which are mostly made
up of epinephrine and norepinephrine. Other hormones such as cortisol, estrogen, and
testosterone are also released to augment strength and mobility. Neurotransmitters like
dopamine and serotonin help activate mental acuity and augment thought processes. The
fight-or-flight response is so powerful that mothers have been known to lift cars weighing
two tons or more to recuse their children from traumatic accidents. It is generally safe for
these hormone levels to be increased temporarily in healthy individuals. However, when
these hormone levels are constantly being increased, they can have a very traumatic
effect on long-term health.

3. Weakens the immune system:

The cortisol hormone released during fight-or-flight mode and when we experience stress
weakens the immune system by decreasing the volume of lymphocytes circulating in our

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 body. Being stressed out all the time makes us more susceptible to infections and even
cancer. The lymphocytes are partly composed of B-cells that release antibodies to
terminate invading bacteria and viruses external to the cells. The T-cell type of
lymphocytes target invaders that have entered into cells and begin destroying the virus or
bacteria. Another aspect of living in long-term fear that can damage the health may be
collateral. Individuals suffering from extreme stress or the fear of something may abuse
substances to cope.

4. Impacts memory:

The body floods the amygdala region of our brains with hormones when we are afraid.
This impacts memory by storing the moments when our perceptions became more acute
in high-resolution. These memories will burn into our souls as thoughts that have
paramount importance over any others and may haunt us. These may be perceived simply
as red flags in our subconscious minds that make us feel a certain looming sense of dread
regarding individuals associated with these fears. This reactive irrational fear-based
thinking is the force behind PTSD and can lead to long-term memory formation problems
and damage to the function of the hippocampus. The memories incurred from the
mechanism dubbed the 'amygdala hijack' are always perceived as negative, as a warning
to avoid similar situations in the future, and possibly explaining why first impressions are
so important.

5. Cardiovascular damage:

The long-term effect of being exposed to adrenaline is certain to incur cardiovascular

damage over time, often in the form of tissue damage and constriction of blood vessels
causing increased blood pressure. Individuals who suffer from heart disease are the most
susceptible and can instantly suffer from a fatal arrhythmia, a condition where the heart
beats out of rhythm and is unable to maintain circulation. Under heavy stress, individuals
may develop broken heart syndrome (takotsubo syndrome) and drop dead from a sudden
weakening of the heart and the decreased ability to pump blood. Cardiovascular damage
can even occur in individuals who are not used to exercising and suddenly attempt to
overexert themselves. Therefore, individuals who are healthier, in general, are most able
to handle the stress and long-term exposure to fear much better than those who are frail
and unhealthy.

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 QUESTION#5
How to overcome the fears?

Following are the techniques to overcome fears:

1. Identify your fears:

Learning how to overcome fear is much like any problem-solving challenge in that you
must identify the challenge in order to overcome it. What is it you’re afraid of? Sit
quietly for a few minutes and observe your thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations.
Write down what comes up, and be as specific as you can. Consider embracing a
daily mindfulness meditation practice to gain greater clarity on what drives you. As you
find your center, you’ll feel empowered to confront your fears.

2. Recognize that fear can work to your advantage:

Our emotions exist to tell us things. When you feel fear, your soul is trying to tell you
something – so listen. If you feel overcome by stress or distracted by a subtle-but-
persistent anxiety, it’s likely a subconscious fear that needs your attention. Rather than
avoiding it, overcoming fear requires leaning into your anxiety. View the fear as a piece
of information instead of a threat to your survival. When you use anxiety to your
advantage, it can’t ruin your life. In overcoming fear, it becomes your ally – a critical
source of guidance to reach your full potential.

3. Sit with your fear:

There are times for action and times for reflection. Acting too quickly to overcome your
fear can lead to behaviors that do more harm than good, like reaching for a drink,
indulging in comfort food or even repressing the feeling entirely. Next time you feel
fearful, try something new: Do nothing. Sit with your fear for a few minutes. Think about
it. What is the root cause? What is the story you tell yourself about why you can’t
overcome this fear? This isn’t to say you shouldn’t take action. A moment of reflection
can have a great effect on overcoming fear in a way that is productive, deliberate and
effective.

4. Create goals that are ‘musts’:

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 Oftentimes the process of overcoming fear becomes stymied by uninspiring or elusive
goals we set for ourselves. To turn this around, ask yourself: What does the life you
desire and deserve look like? Is it just a “someday, maybe” plan or do you actively work
toward it? Is it something that is attainable and you’re willing to commit to? The first step
in overcoming fear is identifying whether or not you’re creating a compelling goal. If you
accomplish this, will you feel fulfilled? Conversely, if you don’t accomplish this, will
you be lost?

Dig deeper into your goal. What is your ideal outcome? Is it financial growth – more
money in the bank? Maybe you want the financial independence to travel anytime,
anywhere? Consider what your life will look like if you don’t achieve this outcome and
compare it to what your life will look like if you do. Once you feel that your goal is
essential, the fear of not trying at all eclipses the fear of failure – that’s when you’ll be
inspired to act.

5. Recognize the excuses:

Fear makes you put things off. “I’m really tired. I have other stuff to do. It’s a dumb idea
anyway.” These excuses probably sound familiar, don’t they? You’ve probably said this
out loud and to yourself. Think about it. Is there any truth to these statements, or are you
constructing excuses to avoid potential failure? It’s much easier and less painful to make
excuses than it is to put in the long hours and energy it will take to work toward your
goal, but excuses and opting out will ultimately leave you feeling unfulfilled. If you want
to find out how to conquer fear, you need to take a different, proactive approach.

Recognize when you are using excuses and figure out how to overcome them. Too tired?
Adjust your schedule so you can get a better night’s sleep. Not enough time? Assess your
priorities and find out where you can make time. And the next time an excuse comes to
you, make the decision to not give in to the little voice telling you “No,” because it won’t
help you grow in the long run.

6. Surround yourself with success:

Tony says that “Proximity is power.” This is also known as the law of attraction, or the
idea that, in essence, you become the people you surround yourself with. Tony puts it
another way: “Whatever you hold in your mind on a consistent basis is exactly what you
will experience in your life.” If you’ve turned your “shoulds” into “musts” and
recognized all your excuses but still aren’t sure how to overcome fear and put your goals
into action, it’s time to examine your focus.

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 People who are truly focused on overcoming fear and achieving their dreams surround
themselves with others who have the same mindset. These are people who you not only
look up to, but who will push you to achieve your goals. To overcome fear, you need
to raise your standards – and allow others to hold you accountable.

7. Adopt a growth mindset:

When you’re afraid, you tend to stay in one place. What if you make a mistake? What if
you fail? You start to believe you can’t progress at all, that you’re incapable of it – the
fear holds you back. One of the most powerful tips to overcome fear and anxiety is to
adopt a growth mindset. It’s not about achieving your goals and being perfect every step
of the way. No one is ever perfect all the time, so stop striving for that. It’s about getting
comfortable with what you don’t know and continuing anyway – this is the foundation of
a growth mindset.

As Tony says, “No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow your progress,
you’re still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.” As you work to overcome fear, you
will realize that there will be lots of trials and tribulations along the way. As soon as
you’ve accepted that the path to success includes growth and change, you’ll be one step
closer to attaining your goals.

8. Find valuable insight in pain:

No one likes pain. Most of us go to great lengths to avoid it. But pain is a profound
teacher. If you accept that your life and your efforts to achieve your goals will be painful
at times, painful experiences become opportunities for growth. When you let go of pain
as a threat to your survival, it loses its power and becomes another tool for overcoming
fear. Everyone experiences hardships in life. It doesn’t matter whether your setbacks are
personal or professional – what matters are the lessons you take from those experiences
and how you apply them to your future. Instead of letting pain and fear dictate your
decisions, actively choose to learn from those painful moments to be in control of your
own life.

9. Visualize your goals:

You’ve done the mental work: identifying the real reasons you’re holding yourself back
and determining your must-haves in life. But overcoming fear requires that you practice
these habits daily so they will lead to true action.

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Tony says, “Identify your problems, but give your power and energy to solutions.” Goal
visualization is one of these solutions. It’s used by some of the most successful athletes,
actors and entrepreneurs, like Michael Phelps, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Will Smith and
women’s soccer star Carli Lloyd, among others.

Goal visualization sets your focus – and where focus goes, energy flows. It can take the
form of priming, meditation or imagery training. The important thing is that you see
yourself succeeding and fully immerse yourself in your goal. You’ll condition your brain
to believe that anything is possible – a key step to overcoming fear.

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