things are not as scary as they seem; fear makes the wolf bigger than he is
Proverb meaning that when you investigate something frightening, it often turns out to be harmless. Literally: 'The ghost, when examined closely, is withered silver grass.'
The shadow I thought was scary on the night road turned out to be just a tree when I looked closely. Things are not as scary as they seem.
That boss seemed strict, but when I talked to him, he was kind. It's a case of fear making the wolf bigger than he is.
Both proverbs encourage facing fears, but 案ずるより産むが易し focuses on the ease of doing something compared to worrying about it, while 幽霊の正体見たり枯れ尾花 emphasizes that the feared thing itself is not as frightening as imagined.
The proverb developed from the haikai line 化物の正体見たり枯尾花, traditionally attributed to the Edo-period poet 横井也有; 幽霊 later replaced 化物.