facing fears
Meeting dread head-on
Facing fears means confronting what frightens or intimidates you rather than avoiding it.
The phrase implies deliberate action—choosing to move toward discomfort instead of away from it: She's facing her fears by taking the public speaking class.
The concept underlies exposure therapy and appears constantly in self-help contexts, sometimes to the point of cliché.
- courageFortitude facing danger
- braveShowing courage despite fear
- inner strengthMental and emotional resilience
- confrontFace squarely, address directly
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
dread · phobia · stage fright · overcome · terror · panic · fight or flight · trembling · heart-pounding · cold sweat · exposure · therapy · comfort zone · heights · darkness · spiders · avoidance · resilience
- heroismbravery, valor, hero, courage, heroism
- couragebravery, resilience, boldness, courage, valor
- standing upstanding up, standing ground, speaking out, speaking truth, fighting back
- Taking Initiativeinitiative, taking charge, first move, taking action, proactive
facing fearsfleeing
Rapid escape from danger
running away · hiding · evading · escaping · retreating
facing fearscowardice
Absence of bravery
cowering · losing nerve · chickening out · timidity · faintheartedness
facing fearsplaying it safe
Avoiding unnecessary risk
stagnation · self-limiting · stagnating · learned helplessness
facing, fears, face, fear, faced, faces, facings, feared, fearing