text: how do i conquer my fears? i am afraid drowning and heights and therefore terrified of bridges.  also, despite my religious beliefs i am really afraid of death.  my daughter turn two yesterday and on days like that i can't help but spend a few minutes thinking that i'm just one step closer to death.  my husband is not really afraid of anything, so he has a hard time understanding.  it's getting to the point that a lot of my good days are lessened by a few moments of these thoughts, and my anxiety makes me very negative at times.  i don't want these feelings to ruin my happiness or others around me in the future.  please help. animal lover's right: you should see a therapist, if it's consuming so much of your time, energy, and happiness.  and yes, you should face those fears head-on. i'm not saying you should deliberately try to drown yourself for instance, but try taking a good swimming course. afraid of hieghts? climb up ladders a lot (but let your husband be your spotter, so to speak!) and yes, you might even try some basic rock-climbing. instead of focusing on those fears- which gives them way more importance than they should have- you should work on convincing yourself of one phrase: "i can do this."  another thing i used to do that helped me work through some situations: lucid dreaming. it is actually possible to seize control of your dreams if you don't like the direction they're going, and change them. so if you see yourself falling, for instance- change that to a dream of flying instead. that is a very crude example of course.  good luck!