7 Motivational Quotes to Help You Face Your Fears (Because Worry Never Fixes Anything) by Jessica Krampe

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, fall is. I love the crisp, breezy weather, the smell of bonfires and the sound of crunching leaves, the oranges, the reds, the yellows. Apple orchards and pumpkin patches and hayrides. Sweaters and boots and plaid. Pumpkin-flavored everything. (Go ahead, call me basic—not offended in the slightest.)

And, yes, I know technically the first day of autumn was Sept. 23, but I live in Texas, and it was 90 degrees until, like, last week. So I’m celebrating now instead. Sue me. Coincidentally (or maybe not really), my favorite holiday is a fall holiday. And it’s tomorrow. Except unlike the bright colors of fall, Halloween is dark. The ghosts and goblins, the witches and werewolves, the vampires and zombies. Haunted houses. Scary movies. It’s creepy. It’s kooky. It’s mysterious and spooky.

Everything about Halloween is fear-full. And even though real fear isn’t the same as Halloween’s usual suspects, it seems like a pretty relevant time to talk about it, am I right? So let’s. Fear is something that lurks in the shadows of our minds, a “monster” that haunts us, a “spell” that paralyzes us. Like anybody else, I know what fear feels like. When I’m anxious about something, my stomach does somersaults and my throat gets tight. My mind gets tangled, muddled—the worry, the dread, stalks my thoughts.

What are you afraid of? Have you ever really thought about it, the things that distract you, that are holding you back? Are they worth fearing? Are they really worth the angst, the stress? Probably not. Because worry never really fixes anything, you know? Like author Leo Buscaglia said, “Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.” Preach. And I know that’s easier said than done, to just stop…. I mean, you’re talking to the queen of overthinking. But maybe these motivational quotes about fear—about understanding it and facing it—can help us both.

Let’s face our fears together. Let’s show ‘em whose boss. Ready? I am.

1. “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” ― Marie Curie

2. “Fears are nothing more than a state of mind.” — Napoleon Hill

3. "Each of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or to be limited by the fear of it." — Judy Blume

4. “Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.” — Norman Vincent Peale

5. “Obstacles are like wild animals. They are cowards but they will bluff you if they can. If they see you are afraid of them… they are liable to spring upon you; but if you look them squarely in the eye, they will slink out of sight.” — Orison Swett Marden

6. “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

7. “Always do what you are afraid to do.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fear as a way of life has some nasty side effects. Fortunately, there are some actions you can take to keep fear from controlling how you think. Learn 3 ways to fight back.

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