our greatest fear is of the unknown.

Generally speaking, our greatest fear is of the unknown. Interestingly, it isn't the actual situations we experience that cause us to feel terrified nearly so much as our fearful anticipation of the worse-case scenario. The most effective way to handle this is by becoming aware of what we fear. Like the imaginary childhood monster who disappeared when our parents turned on the light, fear dissipates when it is brought out of the shadows and into the light of awareness.