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A review by alundeberg
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers
4.0
If there is one self-help book for me to get, it is this one. I am a near-neurotic control freak who is often in the grip of anxiety. My thoughts feel all-encompassing and whirl about in my mind relentlessly; sometimes no amount of self-talk will settle them down. The majority of my worries stem from fear-- fear of being wrong, fear of losing something, fear that I did/did not do/say something, fear of things not working out, fear of disappointing others, fear of ... the list goes on. Jeffers explains that all fear stems from the belief that we won't be able to handle what life throws at us. She is an enthusiastic and passionate teacher who uses anecdotes from her life and others to show her readers how to overcome their fears. Each of the twelve chapters has exercises to guide one toward a more positive and fearless life. She provides concrete strategies on how to analyze one's fear, look at it objectively, and develop a healthy response. For me, this will be helpful.
Jeffers takes the reader through why we have fears, why others perpetuate our fears, and shows how we can move from a place of pain to one of power. She demonstrates how we can reshape our thinking and provides scripts for us to say to others who are not understanding our growth. Many of her strategies include journaling and looking at choices to make them "No-Lose" instead of "No-Win". Some of her strategies of posting positive quotes and affirmations everywhere and endlessly listening to motivational speakers are not my style, and she suggests listening to guided visualizations to open up our "Higher Selves". What I really appreciate about this book is her message to keep ourselves open to new opportunities and to say "yes" to life. Life may take us in directions that we did not envision ourselves going and we leave the path that we are on. She reaffirms that it is okay to leave that path, and our time on that path was not a waste, but a learning experience. We sometimes are afraid to deviate from our original plans because we fear looking like a failure or losing all of that time and investment.
As a high school teacher who works with kids planning and stressing over their future college lives, this book is a great resource. It gives me the language to talk to my students about their fears and how it is okay to change their minds and that they are not locked into a certain path or major. Many are afraid to make the "wrong" decision, thinking the results will be catastrophic. Using Jeffers' approach, I can guide them to see how different decisions offer different outcomes and experiences and learning. Sometimes the "right" decision turns out to be "wrong", but learning what doesn't work for us is just as important as what does. Jeffers also explains the importance of building a "whole" life, rather than having a life that hinges on one thing. If we lose that one thing, our life feels over, but if the one thing is one of many, our life still feels full. This is important information to impart on those going into adulthood.
I plan on revisiting the ideas and strategies of this book often to help loosen the grip of my anxiety and others.
Jeffers takes the reader through why we have fears, why others perpetuate our fears, and shows how we can move from a place of pain to one of power. She demonstrates how we can reshape our thinking and provides scripts for us to say to others who are not understanding our growth. Many of her strategies include journaling and looking at choices to make them "No-Lose" instead of "No-Win". Some of her strategies of posting positive quotes and affirmations everywhere and endlessly listening to motivational speakers are not my style, and she suggests listening to guided visualizations to open up our "Higher Selves". What I really appreciate about this book is her message to keep ourselves open to new opportunities and to say "yes" to life. Life may take us in directions that we did not envision ourselves going and we leave the path that we are on. She reaffirms that it is okay to leave that path, and our time on that path was not a waste, but a learning experience. We sometimes are afraid to deviate from our original plans because we fear looking like a failure or losing all of that time and investment.
As a high school teacher who works with kids planning and stressing over their future college lives, this book is a great resource. It gives me the language to talk to my students about their fears and how it is okay to change their minds and that they are not locked into a certain path or major. Many are afraid to make the "wrong" decision, thinking the results will be catastrophic. Using Jeffers' approach, I can guide them to see how different decisions offer different outcomes and experiences and learning. Sometimes the "right" decision turns out to be "wrong", but learning what doesn't work for us is just as important as what does. Jeffers also explains the importance of building a "whole" life, rather than having a life that hinges on one thing. If we lose that one thing, our life feels over, but if the one thing is one of many, our life still feels full. This is important information to impart on those going into adulthood.
I plan on revisiting the ideas and strategies of this book often to help loosen the grip of my anxiety and others.