5 Nonfiction Books That Will Help You Overcome Fear and Anxiety …
Nonfiction That Will Help You Overcome Fear and Anxiety
Every single day we face moments that are difficult, uncertain, and scary. Most of the time we just think about our ideas and don’t find enough courage to share them, act on them and pursue them. And we always wonder why is it so damn hard to make ourselves do the things that we know we should do in order to expand our careers, enrich our relationships, become healthier and improve our life.
A lot of our success in life is determined by our ability to do something that is difficult or scary, stepping outside our comfort zone, sharing our ideas, standing firm in our beliefs and values, and just showing up.
Sometimes thinking too much about our problems magnifies them and is the reason for our anxiety. We’ll feel less anxious when we are working on our problems or moving forward for a solution as compared to just thinking about them. Sometimes we need to act on our instincts and not think all the way through, to just start and figure out everything else along the way.
There is no better feeling than the feeling of confidence and pride you gain when you keep moving forward, face life’s challenges head-on, and push yourself to change for the better.
Life is already hard and we make it even harder when we listen to our fears, convince ourselves to wait and we hold our greatest selves back. We all do it, we hold ourselves back due to fear of rejection, fear of failure, or fear of showing our vulnerable side of us. We hide because deep down we are afraid to even try.
In this article, I’ll be recommending 5 books that will help you face fear and the anxiety that comes with fear.
1). The 5-Second Rule by Mel Robbins
Introduction:
What if I tell you that it just takes 5 seconds to change your life? It sounds like a gimmick doesn’t it? Well, It’s not. It’s science and this book will prove it to you.
What is the 5 Second Rule?
The moment you have the instinct to act on a goal you must 5–4–3–2–1 and physically move or your brain will stop you.
The rule will help you become healthier, happier, and more productive. And live with greater courage & confidence every day. Life is already hard, yet we make it so much harder when we listen to our fears & convince ourselves to wait & hold ourselves back.
The book is divided into 5 parts where you’ll learn about this rule, how it works & where & how you can apply it, & how courage changes your behavior & your mind.
As a bonus, The author has included various social media posts of the people who used this rule and brought meaningful changes to their lives.
Major Highlights:
- This book will inspire you to take action and change your life one five-second decision at a time. You’ll no longer be a victim of analysis paralysis because you’ll take action before your mind starts making excuses.
- We make decisions based on how we feel, 95% of the time we let our feelings take our decisions for us, not logic.
- You can use it to act with everyday courage, control your mind, & change your behavior. We are wired to fail. And this rule only works on one thing- YOU. And it will keep you out of your mental jail.
- You’ll learn about procrastination and how it’s just a coping mechanism for stress. How to break the procrastination by first forgiving yourself.
- 5–4–3–2–1 switches the gears in your mind & allows the prefrontal cortex to help you get started.
Final Thoughts:
Suppose you are struggling to take action and procrastinating on your important tasks. Pick this one, you are just 5 seconds away from changing your life.
2). Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins
Introduction:
There are very few books that have the potential to completely change your life and your mindset toward life. And CAN’T HURT ME by David Goggins is that kind of book.
The book is about embracing pain whether it’s physical, mental, or emotional. This book is about a journey that he went through and how he was able to master his mind to defy the odds.
Major Highlights:
The Accountability Mirror:
Face yourself in front of the mirror and tell yourself the truth and be completely accountable for all of your insecurities, fears, dreams, and goals.
The 40% Rule:
Most of us give up when we’ve only given around 40% of our maximum effort. Just like a car has a speed governor we have a governor buried deep in our minds. It wants to make you comfortable and stop the pain.
When you push past that dialogue that’s happening inside your head. You will be able to give yourself a chance to tap into your full potential.
The Cookie Jar:
Utilizing past successes to fuel you to new & bigger ones. Because in the heat of battle with yourself when the shit gets real, we need to draw inspiration to push through our own exhaustion, depression, pain, & misery.
Callusing your mind:
Asking questions to ourselves,
1. Why are you doing this?
2. What is driving you toward this achievement?
3. Where does the darkness you’re using as fuel come from?
4. What has callused your mind?
We need to have the answers to these questions at our fingertips when we hit the wall of doubt & pain.
Why you should read this book?
Goggins transformed himself from a fat guy eating donuts & drinking milkshakes to a graduate of the U.S armed forces & Navy SEAL training (one of the hardest training in the world) &
he has shared everything he went through to get there & it will help you to train your mind, & build mental strength.
I would recommend this book to everyone.
3). 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do by Amy Morin
Introduction:
Have you wondered what thoughts, behaviors, habits & mental models make certain people mentally tough?
Some people lose their heads almost immediately in a difficult situation while some people don’t, Why is that?
To understand mental strength, you have to learn how your thoughts, behaviors, and feelings are all intertwined and working together. Mental strength is an optimal balance between your rational thinking and emotions.
This book is a compilation of 13 things that mentally strong people don’t do, these are basically 13 habits that need to be eliminated if you want to be mentally strong.
Breaking each habit to its core and discussing every possible aspect, discussing the misconceptions about mental strength, and a structured list of practical tips in every chapter to help you become mentally strong.
Major Highlights:
- A VICTIM MINDSET is the worst enemy of your mental strength & your ability to deal with adversity. Changing the way we communicate with ourselves and adopting healthy habits to build our self-esteem.
- Giving other people the power to control how you think, feel, & behave makes it impossible to be mentally strong. This book talks about practical ways one can employ to get their power back.
- Embracing change, be it, behavioral, emotional, physical, cognitive, or a collection of all of these. We are not always ready for it, but how to embrace and execute it despite that.
- Acknowledging that you can’t make everyone happy is actually the first step toward mental freedom. We are not meant to make everyone happy it’s a lost cause. It will teach you to prioritize your own happiness without offending/harming others.
Final Opinion:
This book has lots of practical tips & some valuable lessons to offer. Recommended to everyone who is looking to build mental toughness.
4). One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way by Robert Maurer
Introduction:
We’ve all been taught & experienced that change is hard. Most of us believe that to change our lives we have to take big radical steps.
But what we fail to recognize is that big bold efforts to make a change can create even bigger obstacles in our minds to resist the very change we are looking for. When fear of change takes hold of our brains it can prevent creativity, rational thought, and success.
This book introduces the concept of “Kaizen” it’s an effective, enjoyable way to achieve a specific goal by:
1. Asking small questions.
2. Thinking small thoughts.
3. Taking small actions.
4. Solving small problems.
5. Bestowing small rewards to yourself.
6. Recognizing the small but crucial moments.
Major Highlights:
Our brain is programmed to resist change, but by taking small steps you effectively rewire your nervous system. These small actions take very little time or money & require minimum reverses of your willpower.
So your brain is saying: hey!! This change is so tiny that it’s no big deal. No need to get worked up.
By asking small questions you can inspire action, let’s say you want to lose 50 pounds, Instead of setting up a complex diet plan & a 2-hour exercise regime(which you’ll not follow), ask yourself,
what is the one small thing you can do today to consume 100 fewer calories or burn 100 extra calories? It’s manageable & your brain agrees to it instantly.
Smaller problems are more often the seeds of the bigger problems, by training your mind to ponder on those small problems & solving them at their very source, you’ll be saved from a lot of catastrophes later in your life
𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧:
A productive life is a good life, nothing is more satisfying than seeing yourself growing with each passing day, doing things out of your comfort zone, and achieving things that you always wanted to achieve. All that is possible when we take control of our life, time, and attention and start doing things rather than just sitting and thinking about them.
5). The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday
Introduction:
You know what you want to do but it feels like some invisible force is pulling you away,
Most of us are paralyzed. Most of us sit frozen in front of the many obstacles that lie ahead of us. We wish it weren’t true, but it is. Every obstacle is unique to each of us but our response to these obstacles defines the way we live our lives.
This book is written with the goal of overcoming obstacles, they can be in any form or size, be it physical, mental, emotional, or perceived obstacles. It is not about seeing the bright side, it is about turning every obstacle into an advantage.
Major Highlights:
- Approach your obstacle from a rational point of view rather than seeing & reacting to it emotionally. What matters most is not what these obstacles are but how we see them and how we react to them.
- Chaos brings opportunity, Some people get overwhelmed by the obstacles life has thrown at them, some people live in denial of their existence, some people face it with courage, and only a few turn obstacles into opportunities.
- Start working on the obstacle at hand with whatever tools you’ve got, because delaying the actual work won’t make the obstacle disappear. Simply do what you can right now and do it well & move to the next thing you can do. Follow the process not the prize.
- When we have done everything in our power and we are placed in a situation that is unchangeable or an overly negative situation, we’ve got to turn it into a learning experience because that’s the only thing that’s in our control. Sounds simple, but definitely not easy.
Final opinion:
This book just fills you with hope and gives you a different perspective on the way you approach your life’s problems. The storytelling is incredible, with short chapters & practical tips which can be put to use right away.
That’s it from my side. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
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