Being stuck more than 30 feet up in the air, a sketchy-looking rope tied to my harness, my hands clutching so tight to the walls my muscles start screaming, my feet barely balancing on rubber rocks smaller than a salt shaker. For as long as I can remember this has been one of my greatest fears. The seemingly simple and supposedly fun act of rock climbing has always been my undoing. I would wait stubbornly and nervously with my feet planted firmly on the ground every time I was in the presence of a rock wall. With their unreasonably tiny handholds, and horrifying ledges to maneuver over, they were something I was convinced I would never be able to handle. However, enough was enough, those massive, terrifying, rubber rocks could not win. After 19 years of life dreading such a thing ever happening, I have finally climbed to the top of a rock wall. Yes, my entire body was shaking like a leaf. Yes, my awkward, slow crawl to the top probably looked shameful to avid climbers. And yes, the children under 10 were showing me up the entire time. Despite all of this, I can finally say I have faced my greatest fear head on, and everything worked out beautifully in the end.

In life we all have something we find absolutely horrifying. Whether it's physical, such as learning to drive, living on your own, going scuba-diving, or even rock climbing; or mental, like a fear of failing, being rejected, or being alone, it is of vast importance to face the fears we have in a strong and unrelenting manner. I completely understand how difficult this may sound. It would be significantly easier to simply ignore and put off this thing you are afraid of. While in some cases this may be possible--for example a fear of sharks can be taken care of just by avoiding the ocean like the plague--many of our greatest fears, such as going for your first interview, are unfortunately not something you can hide from. No matter how easy it would be to run away from what you are afraid of, this is no way to solve anything. The good news is, when you decide today is the day you are going to conquer the world, there are a few ways to manage the anxiety you will undoubtedly feel leading up to the big moment.

First, have people you care about close at hand. If you know you have friends or family who are with you, either in person or in thought, who will pick you up and brush you off if it doesn't work out as planned, chances are the amount of fear you are feeling will subside at least slightly. Second, accept that this may take a few tries. Literally less than a week before I managed to climb a rock wall I was having a full-blown panic attack brought on by the mere prospect of having to force myself up onto the wall. It was this moment I realized I had to face this fear and prove to myself that I was stronger than that. You might try to tackle the thing stopping you in your tracks twice, 10 times, or even 50 times, and never really conquer it. Don't be discouraged. Trust me, at some point you will decide enough is enough and show everyone who's boss. Third, and finally, take a deep breath. I know, I know, this does not seem overly helpful. Honestly though, that last beat in time before you are about to take a leap of faith, just stop, clear your head, and tell yourself you are about to be awesome. Don't worry that it might not go entirely as you hoped. Don't think about how other people might be staring at you. Don't forget about how long you have been working towards this moment. Just take that deep breath and remember how relieved you are about to feel when you prove to yourself you can handle anything now. Facing your biggest fears is, by definition, a terrifying thought, but when you finally do, you will feel on top of the world, or at the very least, at the top of a massive rubber rock wall.