Fear is one of the most basic human emotions. It starts off with a voice in our head saying, “You can’t do this,” which can quickly make us worry and make us second-guess ourselves, but we shouldn’t let our fear control us! By facing our fears, we can gain confidence, resilience, and personal growth.
The Clarion interviewed some students and staff of Hawthorne High School asking, “What was a fear that controlled you for a while?” Then we asked the follow up question: “What was the strategy that you used to face your fear and how did you come out on top?”
First we asked Hawthorne High School math teacher, Ms.Hansen, “What was a fear that controlled you for a while?” She answered with no hesitation, “Public speaking.”
We then asked the following question, “What was the strategy that you used to face your fear and how did you come out on top?” Ms.Hansen began with, “When I was a student here at Hawthorne High School, I was the MC (microphone controller) for the Mr. Hawthorne talent show (past school event that took place here in the high school). I learned to practice public speaking a fair amount knowing I would need it in my career. Since I teach, I have learned to get more comfortable with it. Not only does this help my teaching, but it helps me gain confidence when having to speak in front of large crowds.”
As a result, public speaking was something Ms.Hansen struggled with, but she knew it was best to get over that fear. “Practice makes perfect,” sounds just right in this case. Now, Ms.Hansen does not have to face the fear of speaking in front of a large audience because she built up her confidence in doing so.
We then asked a student here at Hawthorne High School, Collin Ditko, “What was a fear that controlled you for a while?” He immediately responded back with, “Breaking a bone. For as long as I can remember, I always tried avoiding breaking a bone. Seeing YouTube videos of people doing dumb things and ending up breaking a bone had done nothing but scare me. It always looked so painful. ”
We then asked Collin the next question, “What was the strategy that you used to face your fear and how did you come out on top?” He laughed and said, “Well, it wasn’t quite a strategy, but I broke my wrist three times. After experiencing breaking a bone multiple times, I know what the pain feels like and how to avoid this from happening again. Now, I know that my wrist is probably prone to break very easily. I can still participate in the sports I love; I just need to be cautious with any contact that comes towards my wrist.”
Since Collin was so scared of breaking a bone and then ended up breaking his wrist multiple times, this definitely helped him grow as a person. Now that he has recovered from a broken wrist multiple times, he knows how to avoid this issue from happening again. He also now has knowledge of the pain and how it stopped him from participating in sports for a while.
Getting over a fear that controls you comes with many benefits. Whether you are developing courage or increasing your self-confidence, it shows you that you were capable of doing something which you might have once thought seemed impossible.