If you have a fear of spiders, what is the first thing you think to do when you see one? Do you walk up to it and say hello? Do you try to give it a hug? Chances are you will be running far, far away from the arachnid in front of you.

Everyone runs from their fears when they encounter them. Whether it be clowns, snakes, or even walking out of your dorm without makeup, most people have found a thing or two that makes them uncomfortable and afraid. As it turns out, fears are quite limiting to our human experience. All of us run because we are scared, but in actuality, we should be facing these fears to further our experiences and understanding of the world around us.

With the Halloween season in full bloom, spooky decorations and horror movies are everywhere. In pop culture, fear is often associated with tangible things such as heights and ax-murderers. However, the things we fear aren’t necessarily concrete: talking to people we have a crush on, being alone, and failure are equally valid terrors for many.

We don’t want to associate ourselves with these things, and we usually do everything in our power to avoid them. But by avoiding rather than conquering, we sometimes lose out on important life experiences and events. Your fear of flying on airplanes might prevent you from attending your cousin’s wedding, and your fear of being alone could eliminate important time you can spend relaxing.

Sure, fears aren’t always healthy, but then how are they so real? The truth lies not in the fears themselves, but in their control over us.

Fears are a mental barrier between us and whatever it is that scare us, and it is perfectly OK to be afraid of something. However, having a fear doesn’t mean you should allow it to control your life. You aren’t enjoying your life fully by building it around things you hope to never encounter.

In certain situations, like walking alone at night and preventing house fires, some avoidance and preparation is necessary. But avoiding big cities because you are afraid of heights? That isn’t the only solution to the problem.

You can walk around and never go to the top floors of buildings, or perhaps you can start small and increase the height you acclimate to every time you visit a city. Cities can have so many opportunities for fun and enjoyment, so avoiding them entirely is both controlling and limiting your experience of the world.

Running from what scares us isn’t always the best solution and there is so much to be gained by conquering our fears. When you accomplish what you are afraid to do, your confidence will increase and you will be much less limited. You will gain a greater life experience and grow as a person. Whether we see our fears or hear them coming, we shouldn’t be running—we should be turning around and facing them.