3 Inspirational Stories: Overcoming Fear

Last Updated on January 6, 2023

Are you afraid of the dark? How about heights, spiders, or closed spaces?

No matter what your fear is, you have the power to overcome it.

The process may be long and challenging. But it’s possible.

In this post, let’s talk about inspirational stories about overcoming fear. The goal of these stories is to empower you to be brave enough to overcome it.

Why should you overcome fear?

Try to understand your fears — and how it affects your situation.

In most cases (and like the stories featured below), fear can hold you back. It keeps you from living the quality of life you want.

It also stops you from achieving great things. That’s why you need to overcome it and work on living a better life.

The fear of vulnerability

In a short story about overcoming fear, Melinda was raised as a leader. Ever since she was little, her father would bring her to the woods on weekends and shared wise leadership advice.

So as she grew older, she never encountered problems with herself as an authority. She was always the boss and everyone looked up to her. With her around, projects were always organized and accomplished well.

She always let people see her as strong, and somehow, she feared becoming vulnerable around others. 

One day, she felt sad. She felt like there was something missing in her life.

Sure, she excelled as a leader. She was satisfied with her job, too.

But she realized her job was all she had — no family, friends, or any loved ones. She was always on her own because she was afraid to share pieces of herself with others.

Ever since she was little, she feared being with others. She was afraid to be vulnerable.

She asked herself if a life without loved ones was the kind of life she wanted. And without batting an eye, she knew it wasn’t.

So from that day on, she decided to live differently.

Little by little, she started sharing pieces of herself with the people she encountered. She also took up new interests and hobbies.

It was difficult, at first. She felt like making herself vulnerable to others meant showing people that she was weak. And for someone who showed strength all her life, she struggled.

But soon, she realized showing her vulnerabilities is a way of showing her humanity. Not a lot of people know that she’s also kind, honest, and compassionate. 

Because she took steps to show her soft side, people got drawn to her. And years after, she met like-minded people. 

When she looked back on her life at that point, she smiled. Her heart was happy with her place in life. She was glad she made a change.

More importantly, she was glad she overcame her fear of vulnerability.

The fear of flying

A man named David has never been on a plane. And because he has a fear of flying, he has no plans of changing this.

One day, his father approached him. His old man informed him that his mom was dying. And as much as his father wanted his mother to recover, his old man said it was time to accept the situation and surrender to a higher being.

Upon hearing this unfortunate news and decision, he hugged his father and shed a tear. Then the two men had a conversation.

“Is there anything I can do to ease her pain?” David asked.

“Actually, there is. And it’s also why I approached you,” his father told him.

Then the old man told him about his mother’s last wish. His mother wished to get some fresh air and have a vacation in the Caribbean.

“She can have the vacation. I’ll be happy to pay for it,” he said.

“Thank you, son. Your mother also wants you to come,” his father said.

“No. I can’t get on a plane.”

His father was disappointed upon hearing this and left.

The sight of his father leaving didn’t bother him. But the dream he had that night did.

In his dream, he almost had the same conversation he earlier had with his father. That time, though, he was talking to his mother.

While the words his mother said were similar to what his father told him, his dream had an effect on him. When his mother gently closed the door and left, he felt bothered.

When he woke up, he thought about how his mother was always there for him. He remembered how she never missed any of the important milestones in his life. He recalled the memories of his high school graduation, first car, first house, and more — she was always there.

And when he wanted anything, even if she couldn’t afford it, she was never afraid to find the means to give it to him.

Now it was his turn to be there for her. So he bolted off to his mother’s room. And without thinking twice about his decision, he told his mother he was ready to board a plane and join her during her dream vacation.

His mother smiled and said:

“I was sad when your father told me you weren’t coming with us for the vacation. It’s disappointing news. But knowing your fear of flying, I understand. What made you change your mind?”

David told his mother about the dream. He also told her that giving up his fear of flying was the least he could do for her.

Shortly after the family vacation in the Caribbean, his mother passed away. And he was glad that while he couldn’t change her fate, he made her happy — and her dream vacation to come true. 

Years later, David was glad he got on that plane for his mother. From that moment on, he felt nothing but willingness to see new places and look at things from above. And it was from that moment on he realized his fear of flying doesn’t have power over him anymore.

In a way, it was his mother who gave him the encouragement he needed. If it wasn’t for the courage he learned from her, he wouldn’t be as satisfied with his life as he is now.

Related posts:

• 5 Short Stories: Overcoming Obstacles
• How Do You Encourage Someone With Words: 8 Inspiring Ways
• 30 Uplifting Words Of Encouragement For A Friend Who’s Down

The fear of change

Jenna wakes up in the morning at about 5:00, goes out for a quick run, eats a sandwich and chocolate drink, prepares for her job, and off to the office she goes. There, she spends most of her time until 6:00 in the evening.

She lives a monotonous life. For some people, it’s a boring life. For her, though, it’s a great life. And she wouldn’t want to live life any other way.

One day, her brother, John, visited her unexpectedly. He informed her their family’s ranch was about to be transferred to her name. And she was about to inherit millions of cash. 

When she heard this, she was speechless — and not in a good way.

Sure, it meant she was about to inherit a fortune and was set for life. But it also meant having to make major life changes.

Without thinking things through, she told her brother about her decision to decline the inheritance. John was surprised. But he respected her decision.

Decades later, almost everybody she knew lived different lives. Her friends became distant, had families, and travelled to beautiful places.

She wanted to do adventurous things, too. But she was stuck where she was — living a monotonous life. Had she made the decision to receive the inheritance, she could’ve lived a different and adventurous life, too.

She pondered how she should’ve lived bravely before. She should’ve been open to change.

She learned the lesson the hard way. But it was a lesson that she carried with her for most of her life.

Overcoming fear: Is it good for your mental health?

It is. Overcoming fear is good for your mental health because your fear may be the only thing standing in your way. It makes you believe less in yourself.

Sometimes, facing fear is the only way to overcome it. And that’s not always easy to do. But you need to find the strength to make it happen. You need to get rid of it — for good.

Otherwise, fear will conquer your existence.