There are two types of people in this world: those who conquer their fears and those who get conquered by their fears. 

Fear is not anxiety. Fear is an emotional state that exists in the presence of danger and ends once that danger has passed. Anxiety exists when we anticipate a danger or threat, regardless if one is present or not. Fear is an emotion that overrides our intelligence. It stops us from moving toward our goals, and it plays havoc with our quality of life. People often fail to recognize the impact of fear - sometimes because we don't use the word. Instead we talk about things like worry, nervousness, stress, shyness, or anxiety. But the only way to diminish fear is to conquer it. 

Fears and phobias are a natural response caused by real danger. For example, we are all scared of coming face to face with a wild, hungry animal, and fear is a survival instinct that warns us against certain things or situations. A phobia, on the other hand, is an irrational fear of an object or situation that causes little or no danger. For example, arithmophobia (fear of numbers) may cause certain individuals anxiety, but the fear itself won't cause any danger. Phobias are linked to our subconscious, and because they are irrational, they can often be dealt with effectively. 

Fears and phobias are extremely common and range from the less well-known - e.g., asymmetriphobia (fear of asymmetrical things) - to the more commonly recognized dentophobia (fear of dentists). There will usually be strong avoidance behavior connected with the fears and phobias, and feelings of anxiety, loss of control and panic. Sufferers usually know their fears and phobias are irrational, but they cannot control them.