I’m not the sort of person who likes to be told what to do. You can make suggestions. You can invite. You can demonstrate a better way. But if you flat out tell me to do something or not to do it, part of me rebels.
So, a book titled “How Not to Be Afraid: Seven Ways to Live When Everything Seems Terrifying” could have potentially sent me running in the other direction. Except that for the last year, I’ve felt a lot of fear. And anxiety. You know, the fun stuff that makes me never want to leave the house ever again. The only reason I trusted that what was in this book would be good medicine is because of the author. I’ve been a subscriber to Gareth Higgins’ email newsletters for quite some time, and I know that he knows of what he speaks. See, Higgins was born during a time when northern Ireland was a violent, conflict-filled place. He knows what it is to be afraid to live your normal everyday life.
And what I found was not a bunch of rah-rah conquer-your-fears hoohah. Instead, Higgins makes a gentle invitation that we can transform our fears by telling a better story.
Higgins weaves his personal stories of fears with practices anyone can do to start transforming their fears. And he addresses seven specific fears that humans struggle with (most of us can probably pick at least one that haunts us): fear of being alone; fear of having done something that can’t be fixed; fear of a meaningless life; fear of not having enough; fear that you’ll be broken forever; fear of the world; fear of death.
He says, “This book is called How Not to Be Afraid, but it’s not about eliminating fear. It’s about learning to feel fear without being driven by it. It’s about knowing the difference between healthy fear and paranoia. It’s about becoming tender enough with ourselves and connecting enough with our true selves to find the gift underneath the fear.”
I feel so hopeful after reading this book. That doesn’t mean all of my fears are diminished or eliminated. But I have some tools to help me lean into the fear without being paralyzed by it.
You can learn more about the book here where you can download a sample chapter and watch a video about the book. I hope you’ll consider it. If ever there was a book we needed for the times we’re living in, it’s this one.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher as part of the book’s launch team. Review reflects my honest opinion.
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