Rising Above Anxiety, Fear, and Shame to Be Your Best and Bravest Self
Omschrijving
The best-selling author of The Dance of Anger looks at how fear--and other such uncomfortable emotions as shame and anxiety--becomes a key factor in shaping our lives in a negative fashion and explains how to overcome fear to accomplish our best in love, work, and life. Originally published as Fear and Other Uninvited Guests. Reprint. 50,000 first printing. Unhappiness, says bestselling author Harriet Lerner, is fueled by three key emotions: anxiety, fear, and shame. They are the uninvited guests in our lives. When tragedy or hardship hits, they may become our constant companions.
Anxiety can wash over us like a tidal wave or operate as a silent thrum under the surface of our daily lives. With stories that are sometimes hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking, Lerner takes us from "fear lite" to the most difficult lessons the universe sends us. We learn: how a man was "cured in a day" of the fear of rejection -- and what we can learn from his story
how the author overcame her dread of public speaking when her worst fears were realized
how to deal with the fear of not being good enough, and with the shame of feeling essentially flawed and inadequate
how to stay calm and clear in an anxious, crazy workplace
how to manage fear and despair when life sends a crash course in illness, vulnerability, and loss
how "positive thinking" helps -- and harms
how to be our best and bravest selves, even when we are terrified and have internalized the shaming messages of others
No one signs up for anxiety, fear, and shame, but we can't avoid them either. As we learn to respond to these three key emotions in new ways, we can live more fully in the present and move into the future with courage, clarity, humor, and hope. Fear and Other Uninvited Guests shows us how. Acknowledgments
xi
Why Can't a Person Be More Like a Cat?
1(13)
The Fear of Rejection: A One-Day Cure
14(13)
Terrified? You Have to Keep Showing Up!
27(12)
In Praise of Anxiety: How Fear and Trembling Keep You Safe
39(14)
The Trouble with Anxiety: How It Wreaks Havoc on Your Brain and Self-Esteem
53(20)
Why We Fear Change
73(19)
Your Anxious Workplace: Staying Calm and Clearheaded in a Crazy Environment
92(25)
The Secret Power of Shame
117(24)
The Fear of the Mirror: Anxiety and Shame About Your Looks---and Being Looked At
141(30)
When Things Fall Apart: Facing Illness and Suffering
171(25)
Courage in the Face of Fear
196(25)
Epilogue: Everyone Freaks Out
221(4)
Notes
225(6)
Index
231