10 things to help your child overcome fear

Allowing children to fail and pointing out the benefits behind is a way for parents to help their children deal with fear.

Fear is a natural human emotion that warns us of possible harm. It serves as a call to action to protect ourselves. However, in the modern world, fear often tends to outstrip the danger and can prevent us from achieving what we want.

As a parent, you need to take specific actions to help your child cope with fear. Lifehack gives you 10 tips.

1. Acknowledge your fear

Telling your child not to be afraid or banning silly fears is not an effective way to help your child overcome them. You need to acknowledge them for what they are. Give your child a chance to talk about them and show that you really understand. Fears need to be acknowledged before you can help your child overcome them.

2. Let your child know that failure is also an option.

Everyone is under pressure to not fail and is afraid of it, forgetting that it is an important part of the learning process. Most of the greatest inventions in history were the result of a series of unsuccessful attempts.

So let your child know that it's okay to fail sometimes and not to be afraid of it. Show them how to learn from failure so they can do better next time.

Illustration: Lifehack

3. Don't project your fears onto your child.

This is something most parents are aware of, but the reality is that you can never completely hide your fears from your child. What you can do is talk to them, show them that you are a normal person and that you have fears too. Show them what you are doing to cope with and overcome those fears.

4. Help your child identify real fears

If someone says they are afraid of flying, they are probably not really afraid of flying, but of falling. You say you are afraid of monsters under the bed, but you are actually afraid of monsters coming out of the bed and hurting you. You are not identifying the fear correctly. Help your child understand this and work with him to solve the problem.

5. Show your child the benefits

Sometimes children focus so much on their fears that they fail to see the world around them. Talk to your child about the benefits of overcoming their fears and what they can achieve. Ask questions that encourage them to think about positive outcomes instead of just listing them.

6. Recall times when your child overcame his fears.

Remind your child of a time when he was afraid to try something but ended up enjoying it. This will help him gain confidence in his abilities.

7. Avoid comparing your child with others

Constantly comparing your child to other children can make them lose confidence and feel inadequate. This is completely unhelpful in helping your child overcome their fears.

8. Let your child know that it's okay to be scared sometimes.

It’s important to overcome your fears, but it’s also important to remember that some fears are perfectly reasonable and healthy. If your child is afraid of jumping into a river full of crocodiles, that’s a good thing and there’s no reason to make them overcome that fear. Help your child understand the difference between reasonable and unreasonable fears by talking about risks and consequences.

9. Explain to your child that it may take many small steps to overcome fear.

Sometimes the best way to overcome a fear is to jump straight into it, but other times it’s better to take it slow and easy. If your child’s fear is overwhelming, show them that they can conquer it in small steps and only move on to the next step when they’ve reached a certain level of comfort. Plan out the steps so they know what to expect and don’t surprise them, as they may not trust you next time.

10. Regularly remind your child that he or she is not alone.

This is probably the most important thing. Explain to your child that they don't have to face their fears alone. If they feel safe knowing they have someone with them, they'll be more likely to move forward.

According to VNE