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We all have fears that keep us up at night —plague, zombies, public speaking. My 2-year-old daughter, for example, is deathly afraid of Ricky Gervais. While these fears may not always be rational, they always feel very real and very, well, scary.

One artist has come up with a brilliantly simple way to face his fears: writing them all down. Brian Rea has created two large-scale murals by listing all of his many fears, from debt to head trauma.  As he told Fast Company, "I discovered like most people I had a lot of fears...I began to catalog them: physical fears, natural fears, political fears, random, emotional." One of the murals resembles a large diagram, listing Rea's many fears grouped into categories, while the other features illustrations of one of his main fears. (Visit Fast Company to see the striking images of the murals and to learn what Rea's main fear is!)

It's a great idea for an art exhibit, but I also think we could all learn something from Rea's technique. As journallers everywhere can attest, sometimes all it takes to start feeling better about something is to write it down. Anyone can put up a chalkboard, grab some chalk, and start scribbling away. You could even invite everyone in your family to join—that's sure to inspire some interesting conversations. And maybe those really scary things (like Ricky Gervais) will start to seem less scary after all.

Read More:
6 Ways to Conquer Your Fears
Advice For Living Without Fear