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Fear has only one beneficial purpose: to protect us from impending danger, thereby keeping us safe and alive. However, fear is unfavorable and disadvantageous when it interrupts life with ceaseless anxiety, loss of sleep, panic attacks, constant tension and, as the Dalai Lama says, "The real destroyer of inner peace is fear." That may be the reason philosopher Bertrand Russell said: “To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.” Though fear will not magically disappear, there are skillful ways to downsize it. For example:
A huge source of fear is generated by news media outlets. While being informed is useful, reading and listening to news constantly can become an addiction which produces not only fear but anxiety, anger, division, and intolerance. That’s why Buddhist teachers stress that too much news consumption is bad for spiritual and emotional health. Giving it up leads to less fear and more inner peace.
Brother Phap Dung, a Buddhist monk, says to stop following news and offers this alternative: “Go take refuge in nature, and find a cause where your heart doesn’t feel inactive and in despair. This is the medicine.”
-Victor M Parachin, "Overcoming Fear the Buddhist Way," Spirituality & Health