Tackle your fear of tough conversations and learn how to start speaking up. For many, the thought of having to confront another person fills us with fear, anxiety and a whole lot of dread — whether it’s talking to a roommate about their less-than-hygienic cleaning standards, approaching a co-worker who keeps taking credit for your ideas or telling a relative their off-color “jokes” are actually offensive. Rather than deal with these issues head-on, we’d much rather put off the conversations to some later date or — better yet — avoid them altogether. “We often picture a confrontation to include many factors that are distasteful to a lot of us: anger or hostility, thinking on our feet, the possibility of getting railroaded, potential rejection, or the worry we won’t be able to control our emotions — that we’ll burst into tears or make a fool of ourselves,” said Boston University clinical psychologist Ellen Hendriksen, author of “How to Be Yourself: Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety.”