There's always been a stigma surrounding fear, and it's prominent enough that people become scared to share the things that they're scared of. Instead of talking through their fears, they push them even further within themselves. The stigma implies that being fearful makes us weak, and absolutely no one wants that label attached to them. We all try to keep a tough exterior and not let certain situations phase us, all in order for others to view us as strong.

On top of my typical jumpiness, I'm a stereotypical scaredy-cat. I used to hide this and act like I was fearless; I would push myself to do things that I wasn't comfortable doing because, quite frankly, I was scared of being outcasted. Yep. Ironically, my fears of things such as dogs, bugs and roller coasters (all of which I am still scared of to a degree) resulted in me developing a fear of being different because of my other fears. Today, I couldn't care less about people knowing my fears, because fear has helped me develop into the human being I am today.

Of course, things change. My priorities and perspectives changed and my old fears were replaced with fresh ones. I eventually reached a point where I realized that my fear of volcanoes was irrational, considering the fact that I live in Virginia, and replaced it with an uneasiness about confrontation, which is something that is extremely common in high school. At times, my fear of confrontations does seem irrational in the long run, but I know that at some point it'll be replaced with something else.

There are certain fears that I have over things that I, personally, can't change, and coming to terms with that is difficult at times.There are things that I shouldn't be fearful of because, ultimately, they're out of my hands, which is difficult for me to grasp as a controlling person. In the past, I let my fears control me for too long, and let them influence me negatively for years. As cliche as it may sound, you have to find a way to control your fears and use them to positively benefit yourself, instead of letting them control you.

There are still some fears that I know will always follow me around, but there's a difference between following and smothering. Quite honestly, I'm not scared of being scared anymore. My stomach will always clench at the thought of going on roller coasters, and I'm not afraid to share it, but I'll continue to let my friends drag me onto them as long as I'm within sight of my comfort zone.

The thing is, life is full of uncomfortable moments, and it's within your right to express your awkwardness towards them. How you deal with them, though, speaks volumes about your character. If you take up extra energy to create a tough persona when you're really trembling on the inside, that, in my opinion, is wasted effort. Show the world your vulnerability, because that, itself, is strength. Don't be afraid of letting the world know that you're afraid of cats or whatever fear that you think is minuscule. The fears that you carry around are apart of you, so don't hide them.