Steeming Community Contest| "Overcoming My Greatest Fear"

Fear is a natural part of the human experience. We all have apprehensions about some objects or situations. It is harmless as long as it is within usual limits. Not all fears are bad. Some fear is beneficial in the sense that it encourages us to be cautious and aware so that we do not make any further mistakes.

However, some of them are so dreadful that if we don't get rid of them, they will have a major impact on our lives. Before it grows worse, this type of fear requires medical and psychological intervention.

From my childhood until today, I, like many people around the world, have had numerous phobias. The majority of them fall within the normal range. One of them, though, was so profound that it had a significant impact on me.

Now I would like to share with you my greatest fear and how I overcame it.

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WHAT WAS MY GREATEST FEAR?

I was most afraid of traveling by car. When I had to travel by car, I used to be afraid to die.

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HOW DID IT BEGIN?

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This phobia stemmed from a car accident I experienced in the past.

It was the last week of June in 2016. I used to study in a different town away from home. It was around a 2-hour distance by car. I was living in a dorm and used to travel back to my hometown on vacations.

I had a vacation for roughly 15 days due to Ramadan (Fasting month) and the upcoming 2nd professional exam. I made the decision to return home and carried all of my books with me so that I could study at home for the exam.

After a few days, one of the department's teachers requested that some assignments be submitted before the exam. It was important, which is why I needed to attend college. I needed to go, and I was not used to traveling all alone.

Surprisingly, one of my aunts paid us a visit that day and informed me that she needed to see a doctor at my medical college hospital. She asked me to accompany her since she was going to rent a car.

I was also planning on going to submit my assignment, so I agreed to go with her so that I could do two tasks in one day. As it was Ramadan I was fasting on that particular day. I decided to carry a book with me so that I could study while on the trip.

After a while, I started to feel nauseated as we headed toward the town. So I decided to take a nap and then resume my studies. I had no idea how long I had been sleeping. Then I heard a loud scream and opened my eyes.

I was perplexed and couldn't comprehend what was going on. My aunt was crying hysterically when I woke up. Due to brake failure, our driver was no longer able to manage the car. The car was whirling in the middle of the road.

We had no chance of surviving at the time. All I could think about was death, and it was a pathetic feeling. It happened while I was sleeping, and when I awoke, I was confronted with this unavoidable mishap. My aunt was wounded in the ear and head, and I was hit in the head.

There were several banana trees alongside the road, as well as a deep canal adjacent to it. The automobile eventually collided with the banana trees and flipped over. However, thanks to the presence of banana trees, it did not fall into the canal.

We were feeling suffocated and about to lose our consciousness. Then some rescuers arrived and evacuated us through the front window. We were fortunate that none of us sustained significant injuries. Another vehicle arrived and took us to the nearest hospital.

It caused me mental trauma, and I was scared of traveling by car from that point forward. Whenever I had to travel, I experienced palpitations, chest discomfort, perspiration, and a sense of impending unconsciousness.

It continued for more than two years, and it became increasingly difficult for me to travel. Prior to each journey, I used to have nightmares and apprehensive thoughts.

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HOW I OVERCAME MY FEAR:

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I became really tired of my irrational thoughts at one point. I made the decision to put an end to it since I can't live with this fear because I have to travel on many occasions in my life.

To tackle this issue, I first determined to seek out what the underlying cause of my anxiety was. It turned out to be a phobia of dying in a vehicle accident. So, death was the biggest concern.

I reminded myself that I could die at any time and not necessarily as a result of the car accident. So getting away or avoiding it isn't going to help. Death is the most unexpected but unavoidable fact, and it has nothing to do with automobile accidents.

It will come at its ordained time and take our lives, and we will have no idea when or how! Instead of avoiding exposure, I changed my mind and opted to increase it. It was tough to get rid of those notions at first.

I continue to believe in myself and accept the worst-case scenario. Day by day, my fear subsided, and as I began to travel by car, I was no longer as terrified as I had been. I now go by automobile frequently, almost every two days, but I am not frightened.

So, the strategy for overcoming fear was to change my thought, accept the worst-case scenario, and gradually expose myself to the fearful activity.

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This is my submission for this contest and I am inviting @mariela53, @adventurer21, @milymar to participate in this competition.

Thank you @steemingcuration for the nice contest.