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Fear of The Unknown

When was the last time you did something that scared you?

“Do one thing every day that scares you” is something you might have read.

I recently saw a longer version of this:

  • Do one thing that scares you a little every day
  • Do one thing that really scares you every month
  • Do one thing that scares the shit out of you every year

There's value in getting comfortable with fear.

Fear is just an information your mind and body give you. It can't harm you. You can learn to recognize fear when it appears, to acknowledge it, and to let it go.

“Each of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or to be limited by the fear of it.” — Judy Blume, Author

You can plan to challenge your fears. It's easier to go out of your comfort zone when you set a specific date in advance.

Ask yourself what's the worst thing that could happen. As long as there is no chance of irreversible bad consequences, try it. You'll learn, and you'll grow.


Mindfulness exercise about fear

Write down and explore your biggest fears. For each fear, answer the following questions:

  • What is the worst that can happen as a result?
  • How can I reduce the chance of this happening?
  • Can my life still go on from there? If yes, how?

When I did this exercise, I discovered that I already had plans for ALL my fears. That life will go on, even if all my greatest fears come true.


If you liked this, consider subscribing to Nerdful Mind, my weekly newsletter about mindfulness for developers.

posted to Icon for group Self Care
Self Care
on May 2, 2021
  1. 1

    I connect with the idea of planning to face fears in advance. It turns something intimidating into a goal you can prepare for. the Judy Blume quote is a powerful reminder that fear can aither limit us or push us toward adventure.

  2. 1

    This comment was deleted 5 months ago.

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