How Does Fear Hold You Back?

Yanno, I like to consider myself a brave person. I've overcome a lot of issues in my life by trusting myself and doing what I felt was right for me and my family. But there are still things I feel an unusually intense fear about:

1--trusting others. I find myself creating a "contingency" plan that usually relies upon me being 100% self-reliant, just in case anything awful ever happens. Is it smart to be prepared? Absolutely. But there are good people in the world whom we can depend upon. I just have a hard time letting go of my fear of overdependence, so I swing to the other side of the pendulum and end up being overly independent. This is something I struggle to get over, but I still try, every day.

2--writing. I have a book contract, and I am SOOO thankful about it. But I still fear that I'm not good enough, that it was a fluke, that my editors will not like anything else I send them. It's irrational, I know. With every new story I write, I'm growing as a writer. I work hard at my craft. I'm not afraid to revise as needed. That voice in my head is awfully loud, and I can sometimes silence it by taking stock of how much I've accomplished. Even if I never sell another book again, I've still achieved my goal. Plus, writing has given me a sense of depth and resonance in my life that I never would have imagined--that can never be taken away.

3--death. I can't escape it. It's 100% guaranteed to happen to me, my family, my friends, and everyone I know. But that doesn't mean I feel comfort in that fact. I am petrified to die, especially in a way that's not just me passing quietly in my sleep when I'm super old. If I think about it for too long, I start freaking myself out. This is going to sound super goofy, but in my head, I believe I will live to be 100, so I still have another 67 years to go--and I find a little bit of comfort in that. haha

4--my perception. I have certain views and thoughts about myself, the world, the people around me, and I like to feel that my viewpoint is fairly accurate. But what if I'm wrong? What if my head's all messed up and I'm one of those super-crazy people who doesn't know she's a whacko nutbar? haha. Logically, I know that's probably not the case, and I'd like to think if something were really that messed up in my head, that someone would have intervened by now.

What are your most intense fears? Do you feel they are justified? What steps do you take to overcome those fears so it doesn't hold you back in your life?