When I was a kid I really wanted to be as an Astronaut. The thought of exploring new frontiers, the great unknown and experience the vastness of our universe was nothing short of exciting. But little did I know then that such excitement comes hand-in-hand with fear as it turns out that being an Astronaut is one of the toughest jobs that exists today.

It requires incredible amounts of mental and physical fortitude. It doesn’t allow for fear to take hold. When surrounded by complex machinery which is surrounded by the endlessness of space, fear costs lives. To me astronauts seemed superhuman, but they aren’t. They are human, just like us. So how is it that they are able to solve for fear? 

Uncertainty is a significant contributor to fear and it needs to be trained out.  As my favourite philosopher Seneca said; “We suffer more in imagination than in reality.” It was imperative to train out uncertainty to ensure astronauts were aligned to reality and not their imagination of all the different ways things could go wrong.

Arguably, the most critical component of the preparation astronauts undertake is their day-of simulation. NASA would re-create the launch day for their astronauts over and over to an incredible amount of detail. From waking up, to brushing their teeth, to breakfast and onwards. Every single minute action an astronaut might take on the day leading to launch time was re-lived numerous times. Over time, the astronaut would be exposed to every feeling, sight, sound, smell and action of the day. They did this enough times so that the launch day would become a natural experience. The goal; remove all uncertainty. And it works.

Faced with one of most mentally and physically stressful situations we can imagine, the astronaut has complete control over her perceptions and can eliminate the fear, doubt and anxiety that may otherwise hold her back.  Now thankfully, most of the challenges we face are not mentally and physically stressful as spaceflight. At least not physically from my experience. 

Regardless, we do all have our own challenges and they can be scary in their own ways. This fear grows inside us because of exactly what Seneca was telling us, that what we imagine is often far worse than reality. So how do we help ourselves not only accept this fear but face it with the same steadfast determination as an astronaut does on her maiden voyage?  We do this in the same way NASA does, by making the theoretical real.

This is how I addressed my long-time fear of driving. My imagination would run wild with the absolute worst outcomes. Even beyond the nightmares, my day-time thoughts were interrupted by images of horrific crashes and tragedy. However, through repeated positive visualisation of what a happy driving experience could look like and simulation (literally playing driving video games but driving safely and at the speed limit) I was able to increase my confidence enough to sit behind a real wheel. Then with continued practice was able to overcome this fear and become a confidant and competent driver.

I will continue to revisit the approach of the astronauts, though I may not become one myself at least I can continue to learn from them to improve my life and the lives of those around me.