STORY TELLERS

A page for readers to share their views, thoughts and stories.

The feline fear

Ever since I can remember, I’ve had an irrational fear of felines. Whether they’re fat house cats, emaciated street cats or even kittens with wonderfilled eyes, the fear is ubiquitous. To date, I haven’t completely overcome the phobia but I am definitely more tolerant to them. The only way I was able to come to terms with the fear was to put myself in proximity of them. Sarah Ronad

Cruising along

From childhood, I had motion sickness and a fear of sea travel. My husband and child played a big role in helping me overcome this. They wanted me to face my fear and overcome it. They booked a cruise holiday four years back with our entire family. I embarked the ship with a lot of trepidation, unsure if I would last the entire journey. The surprise package was ‘Undersea Walk’ on the third day of the journey. I was literally pushed and goaded and with my entire family’s support, I not only completed it but thoroughly enjoyed the activity. I can now say with a lot of confidence that I am ready for bigger adventures. Prasanna Prakash

Raising a toast

Every time I spoke in front of a crowd, big or small, it felt like the walls were closing in, my heart was beating very fast, and my hands were sweaty. I’d forget the words of my speech, or either stammer or speak way too fast. This was when I found out about Toastmasters. Even when you make a mistake the club encourages you. This gave me confidence to speak in front of people. It changed me completely and now I am a better and more confident speaker. Akshaya Sadasivam

PEER ACCEPTANCE

The fear within of not being accepted was one major worry that started to cast its shadow on various areas of my life as an adolescent. A lack of confidence, inferiority complex and very low self-esteem always hovered over all my actions. Getting connected to diving was one way I overcame this fear. That and the constant support of my family took away my fears. Josephine Maria

The horror flick

When I was young, I once watched a horror movie, and it left me scared for years. Until I was in grade four, I used to sleep with my sisters. Soon my parents forced me to sleep alone, but I was really scared to do that. Then one day I made up my mind to get over the fear and decided to take the plunge and sleep alone with a bedlamp on. I survived and felt alive and fearless after that.

Teresa Albin Chitillappily

SPEAKING UP

I always had a fear of public speaking because I feared others’ comments. But this was until I went and tried public speaking. I think the best way to overcome your fear is by facing it instead of running away. To get rid of your fear you should always have the courage and confidence to face it and do your best instead of thinking about others’ comments. I overcame my fear by giving public speaking a shot and doing my best with full confidence.

Niveditha Sunil

Rejection

The fear of rejection – it’s the most common fear across teenagers. We equate acceptance with love. So to feel loved we need to be accepted and liked by all. In my early teens these were my emotions. All I cared about was being liked by all. I changed my behaviour, my handwriting, my opinions and even the types of food I eat. I was obsessed with the fear of rejection. Then one day, I met a friend in a bus. She was an independent, strong and opinionated girl. She inspired me because she never cared about what others told her. Taking her advice, I started writing down my emotions and thoughts every night and would read them every morning. Slowly over a few months this helped me formulate my opinions and thoughts and I came to understand my individuality.

Ayswarya Sudheer Nair

Dark manifestations

I used to be extremely frightened of the dark and would often run out of dark areas of my house in terror, creepy shadows sliding into my peripheral vision. To overcome my fear, I concluded that the brain is a powerful tool and it will see what it wants to see. Then, I started to focus on producing positive thoughts. I also realised that the strange shadows I had seen were just a manifestation of my fear. Today, I am not bothered by the dark like I used to be. If anything, it has helped me reflect on my fears more and realise in the grand scheme of things we are very lucky and don’t have much to fear aside from ourselves.

Aarya Ajith