One of my favorite examples of how to respond to fear comes from my childhood. A giant oak tree grew outside my bedroom, and often the branches would scrape across the roof at night. I knew it was just a branch, but the longer I lay there, listening, the more convinced I became that this time it really was the boogeyman trying to get in. He would pick me up in his arms and carry me to the window and show me the tree, branches waving in the wind. To deny that we are experiencing fear is to misunderstand the point of the principle.
Challenge fear and ask it what it means to say.
As you go into the fear with eyes open, heart open, and courage flowing freely, you will see that fear is only an empty room. Fear is only as strong as your avoidance of it. The greater your reluctance to see the fear, accept it and embrace it, the more power you allow it. The power in dealing with fearful feelings is to recognize the thoughts behind them, and to recognize them as thoughts. I will not confuse it with Reality.