How to set yourself up and not be afraid of a fight on the street?

Reasons for fear of fighting

In case of the slightest threat, the instinct of self-preservation kicks in. The body begins to release adrenaline, brain activity becomes dull. In such a state, a person must quickly make one of two decisions - to flee or to repel the blow. When he hesitates, a person is enveloped in a panic attack, and in such a state it is not easy to escape or defeat the enemy.

You shouldn’t be ashamed of your own fear; you need to learn to get the better of it and get rid of it. You need to admit to yourself that the fear of a fight is present and start working on it. But first, it is important to understand the reason why you become scared before a fight. Only then will it be possible to answer the question of how not to be afraid of a fight.

Fear of hitting a person

There is no such person who would not be afraid of pain. But often a person is afraid not only to experience pain on himself, but also to inflict it on another, even an aggressive opponent.

Psychology identifies real phobias, because of which a person will never be able to cross the line and respond with force to force. For example, hemophobia is a fear of blood, in which the skin turns pale, a person begins to tremble and may lose consciousness.

Algophobia is also classified as fear of experiencing pain. Algophobia occurs if a person has previously experienced severe pain. Algophobia in most cases stems from childhood, when a person was seriously injured or faced physical abuse at a young age.

Fear of pain

Often the fear of experiencing pain comes from childhood. As a rule, memories are associated with physical violence that was once experienced.

We are talking not only about those who faced the use of force for misconduct in the family, but also about those who, as teenagers, got into fights with peers and were beaten.

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Fear of conflicts

There is no such person who would not find himself in a conflict situation. Often the conflict that begins escalates into assault. Of course, this situation does not happen to those who believe that any dispute can be resolved through dialogue. But unfortunately, in the absence of arguments, for some, the use of force becomes the only option.

It is especially difficult to find a compromise in adolescence and resolve conflicts with children raised by the “street”.

How does the feeling of fear arise?

Fear is a universal psychological defense mechanism that exists not only in humans, but also in all living organisms on earth. Of course, fear from the perspective of psychology is considered as a negatively colored emotion, but this mechanism often helps to avoid a conflict situation. However, there are also cases when fear is an interfering mechanism that can lead to unnecessary consequences and loss in a conflict situation. Fear is an instinctive emotion that is inherent in each of us at a subconscious level, and in order to overcome such a deep psychological defense mechanism you will have to work hard.

If the situation has gone beyond the boundaries of a verbal solution to the problem, then the need to eliminate growing anxiety, internal tension and fear is critically important in further maintaining a leading position in resolving a conflict situation.

A fight is, first of all, the most aggressive way to solve a problem, requiring decisive action on the part of the participants. Statistics show that the side whose physical actions initiated the fight wins.

Why does fear arise before a fight?

There are several factors that increase internal tension and the intensity of fear and anxiety before a fight. The most significant and widespread include:

• Awareness of the feeling of pain;
• Causing harm to another person;
• Lack of experience in physical combat and fighting;
• Poor physical fitness;
• Public disapproval.

The main one is pain. The awareness that physical damage can be caused to one's own body automatically leads to a feeling of fear in every person, regardless of age, gender and life experience. Another thing is that the intensity of fear can vary significantly, for example, in an adult man with extensive life experience, this feeling will be less pronounced than in a twenty-year-old guy, although character, initial emotional state and stress resistance play an important role here.

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In addition to the awareness of one’s own pain, the pain experienced by the enemy can also become an obstacle to getting rid of fear. In this case, the fear of fighting is associated with moral and ethical concerns due to the potential for causing pain and suffering to another person.

The third and one of the most important factors of fear is the lack of experience in this kind of showdown, such as a fight. Indeed, not everyone regularly encounters such aggressive options for sorting out relationships. A simple lack of understanding of how to act in the current situation and why leads to the development of fear and panic.

Insufficient physical training and disapproval from society also influence the formation of this feeling, but not to such a strong extent. So what should you do to avoid getting into trouble and emerge victorious from the fight?

Do you need to overcome fear?

Fear must and can be overcome. It is impossible to live with panic attacks all your life - it negatively affects your health.

A person who feels panic before a fight and understands that his strength is zero should take measures to avoid being beaten. A good solution would be to try to start a dialogue with your opponent. Often, it is a well-structured dialogue that helps to avoid a fight, of course, if the opponent is able to resolve the issue without fists. To do this, it is worth giving arguments that will help resolve the conflict situation.

Helpful advice! If you live permanently or if you need to travel to a disadvantaged area, purchasing a permitted weapon will be effective. So, if you show a gun to a bully, he will certainly get scared and try to run away. However, it is better to do without weapons, since using them can have negative consequences.

The very first time

Some intelligent guys and girls who have never participated in street fights are afraid of a fight, because they don’t know how it all happens. How to hit and defend correctly? Who should attack first? How does a person feel when he hits his opponent?

If the main cause of fear is the unknown, then psychologists advise turning on the imagination. First, look through books on self-defense and find out the location of the pain points. Of course, textbooks won’t tell you how not to miss and simply hit vulnerable areas. But at least a beginner will know where to aim. Then replay the upcoming fight in your head. With dialogues, attacking and repelling enemy attacks. A person must imagine how he will act. Put your hand forward or tilt your body to the side. He will cover his face with his palm or crouch down so that the opponent loses his balance, and then push the attacker and knock him to the ground.

When a fighter has a rough plan of action, fighting fear is much easier. In emergency situations, when there is no time for reflection and imagination, you need to turn fear into interest. Who said fighting isn't fun? Perhaps a person was born for street fighting, he just doesn’t know, because he’s never tried it.

Of course, if the enemy has melee weapons or there are too many opponents, then the best way out is to run. But one bully can be dealt with. And turn a fight into a fun activity that helps you let off steam and get rid of the effects of stress. Perhaps the opponent, who five minutes ago promised to bury his opponent in the asphalt, after a little sparring will become a best friend or at least a good acquaintance with whom you can have a glass of beer after a busy day at work. After all, in some fights the main thing is not victory, but participation.

how to get rid of fear and anxiety

Ways to deal with the fear of fighting

So, if a fight cannot be prevented, it must be led. To do this, you need to prepare yourself for battle both physically and mentally.

Physical training

Having accepted his fear, a person must learn to fight it. If this is a fear of pain, then the best solution would be to develop your own physical strength.

There are three ways:

• exercise;
• learn self-defense techniques;
• sign up for a martial arts class.

It is worth choosing a section where, first of all, attention is paid to striking techniques and where experienced mentors can not only teach wrestling skills, but also teach how to stop being afraid to fight. Good options are boxing, MMA, Muay Thai or hand-to-hand combat. Of course, during training the athlete will receive a lot of blows, it will be painful and difficult, but this will be the first step towards overcoming fear. Even a girl can go to such sections.

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For a person who has never been involved in combat sports, boxing is best suited for self-defense. This sport is very effective and easier than others to master at any age. In boxing, competing in the ring with an opponent will help you develop physically and practice punching tactics.

Daily training will allow you to get used to blows, not be afraid of pain, blood, and show you how not to be afraid to fight. Regular sparring will become commonplace, which means that a street fight will not cause fear. In addition, if you have physical training, a person will feel more confident in any conflict.

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Psychological preparation

Even the most experienced fighter who experiences a feeling of fear before the start of a fight will most likely suffer defeat in the ring. If a person is not confident in himself, he may consider himself defeated even before the fight begins. With self-confidence, even someone who does not know martial arts can defeat an opponent. True, you won’t be able to do without bruises and abrasions, but you will be able to maintain your self-esteem.

Psychological preparation plays a special role. It is important to remember only one thing - the one who is strong psychologically, and not physically, wins.

To stop feeling afraid of fighting, you should do the following:

• Study the process of relaxation and learn meditation. These methods help relieve anxiety and stress. Meditation will not only help you get rid of the fear of fighting, but will also help you concentrate.
• Learn breathing exercises. It is proper breathing that helps a person calm down and relieve stress when the moment comes to fight.
• Sign up for personal development trainings that will teach you how to overcome your fear of fighting. Regular exercise will help you feel confident in your abilities and increase your self-esteem.
• Make an appointment with a psychologist. A personal psychologist will help you understand the root of the problem and find a solution. A psychological session will help you accept your fear and overcome it.

There is another technique in psychology that will help you tune in to the upcoming battle and drive away fear. This method obliges a person to choose the image of an animal, a tiger, a bear or another. Next, you should discard logic and immerse yourself in the image and demonstrate the qualities inherent in this beast.

This method requires some skill. So, you need to set yourself up correctly and come up with a signal that will facilitate the transition to the desired spirit, namely:

• growl;
• shout;
• warrior rose.

Important! This method is often used by professional fighters before a fight to get in the mood for sparring and overcome panic.

How to overcome fear

There are several ways to overcome panic fear of a fight, but it is necessary to take into account that in this case there are no simple solutions, and in order to stop being afraid of getting into a fight, you will have to work hard, especially if you have little experience.

The most common option to cultivate a fighting spirit is to enroll in self-defense or martial arts courses. In addition to fighting skills and strengthening your physical fitness, these activities will likely eliminate your fear of physical conflict. Unfortunately, to achieve any significant results, you will need to practice for a long time and systematically: one or two sessions will not be able to radically change your emotional mood or consolidate your combat skills. As a rule, this requires years of training.

If you are not afraid of a fight, you should not try to resolve any conflict by force. Fight only in cases where there is no other choice.

For those who cannot afford to spend so much time overcoming the fear of fighting, a psychological method of managing emotions may be suitable. Its essence boils down to the fact that one intense experience can be transformed into another if you know the technique. For example, transforming fear into anger works well: in a dangerous situation, adrenaline tension requires release, but if you direct it in the right direction, then instead of the chilling horror you will experience a fighting anger that will allow you to get into a fight and win. A person’s ability to control his own emotions is very great, and should not be neglected.

Tips before the inevitable fight

There are situations when a properly structured dialogue does not give the desired result. Or the person doesn’t have time to say a word at all, and the opponent is already rushing at him with fists. In this case, no matter how much you would like, it is impossible to avoid a fight. Therefore, it is worth learning to repel and fight back an aggressive opponent.

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These tips will help you before the inevitable fight:

1. No matter how much fear envelops you, it is absolutely forbidden to show it to your opponent . If your opponent feels insecure, it will give him more strength. You need to learn to hide your own emotions. Seeing a worthy opponent in front of him, the opponent may become frightened himself, and then the fight may not take place at all.
2. It is worth considering not only your own state, but also the mood of the enemy. It is likely that he himself is anxious and afraid of feeling physical pain. Given his behavior, the person himself will be able to decide to ignore the attacks or to strike first. By the way, professional fighters claim that the one who strikes first has a greater chance of winning.
3. Apply smart image tactics . Aggressive gestures and a belligerent posture can frighten an opponent, and he himself will hasten to run away, because even the bravest opponent does not want to be beaten.
4. It is necessary to soberly assess the situation and your own strengths. To do this, it is worth assessing the chance of victory and, if it is minimal, thinking about a way to retreat. Ending up in the hospital with serious injuries is not the best decision, and therefore if your opponent is superior to you in all respects, it may be worth running away.
5. A good solution would be to purchase any of the self-defense means available to citizens and learn how to use it. You should not purchase a knife for safety, since using it risks killing a person and incurring criminal liability.

“Stay at home and don’t cough!”

Psychologists say that due to the coronavirus pandemic, people have developed a new mental disorder: the fear of contracting COVID-19. The fear was called Covidophobia.

It is also expressed in aggression towards those who dare to sneeze or cough in a public place.

Article on the topic

“I’ve never been so sick in my life!” The story of a person cured of coronavirus In the city of Volsk, Saratov region, passengers, frightened by the coronavirus, kicked a pensioner off the bus, who coughed in the cabin.

“Other passengers joined in the outrage. People are scared of the coronavirus. The driver was silent and did not react at all. I was forced to get off the bus. Essentially, they kicked me out. Not physically, of course, but with words. It’s very difficult to bear morally,” the woman told the Volsk.ru portal about the incident.

A similar scandal occurred in Kaliningrad. Passengers of a minibus taxi kicked out a girl traveling with them because she coughed during the trip. A Kaliningrad woman choked on water.

Coughing in a confined space caused panic among the passengers, and the girl was pushed out of the cabin without being allowed to pick up her bag.

Such incidents are heatedly discussed on social networks. The audience is divided into two camps. Someone condemns the “coughs” and advises them to stay at home. Others are outraged by the behavior of others: “What about people with chronic diseases: bronchitis, allergies or asthma? Not only are they at risk for complications from COVID-19, but they can also become humiliated and insulted at any moment!”

Symptoms of fear

The brain quickly assesses the situation and sends a signal to the somatic system to activate defense mechanisms. This system is responsible for uncontrollable manifestations of fear under the influence of the hormone adrenaline.

When it enters the blood, it causes the following changes:

• dilation of the pupils - the amount of light falling on the lenses of the eyes increases, which allows you to better see the enemy, especially in the dark;
• blood vessels narrow, increasing pressure at this time and reducing the risk of bleeding when injured;
• increased sense of smell – improvement of the body’s defense mechanisms.

These symptoms may also cause dizziness, headache, tremors and upset stomach.

Sometimes fear of a fight can manifest itself in the form of panic attacks. At this time, a person experiences hot flashes alternately with chills. He lacks air, and sometimes he can lose consciousness from suffocation.

Fear can lead to stomach upset