Fear is never a good emotion to hold onto.

It can be an indicator of potentially bad things (shitstorm), but once it has served its purpose and indicated the issue … the fear is no longer useful.

If you’re afraid of talking to someone about something, stop and think. Maybe there is a legitimate reason to be afraid … a real concern. Identify this concern, and you can decide not to speak … but now that you’ve analyzed the situation, you can stop being afraid.

You should IMHO always have a plan of action … how to deal with the fear, and its root cause. If you’re employed in a job with a terrifying boss, and need the money – you don’t have to confront him right away, but you should understand that this is not a good, long term way of life, and should plan how to find another job … and start executing on that plan.