When you were a little kid, you probably weren’t that hard to scare. Maybe all it took was a spooky Halloween movie that made you terrified to look under the bed. Now that you’re older, you know that the most frightening thing you’d find under the bed is a pile of dirty socks. But that doesn’t mean your fears have vanished. No matter how old you are, there’s probably something you’re afraid of.
Some fears are common: We all worry about the future, especially when we see troubling things on the news. Other fears may seem less rational, like being terrified of spiders. Whether or not your fear feels justified, it’s there for a reason, says Carolyn Sorkin. She’s a psychologist who specializes in teen anxiety. “Our emotions tell us what we need,” she says. “So it’s important to pay attention to them.”
In fact, acknowledging your fears and learning how to manage them can help you feel more confident and less stressed. Read on to learn about some common fears people (maybe you!) experience, and get advice from the experts about how to face them.