Member-only story
On overcoming fear
Is it possible?
This article is cross-posted from my weekly newsletter, The Sunday Soother, a newsletter about clarity, intention, and useful tips for creating more meaning in your life that goes out every Sunday morning. Subscribe here. I am also a coach who works with sensitive people so they can stop second-guessing, make decisions confidently and live the life they’ve always dreamed of. You can learn more about working with me here.
Happy Sunday, Soothers. I don’t remember a lot of my childhood, but I have a distinct memory of bedtime when I was around the ages of 5–7 or so. I would pull the covers up to my chin. I would pile all of my stuffed animals on top of me in a little pyramid, or line them up against the wall.
And I would wait and hope that these protections would help me when a robber inevitably broke into the house and tried to stab me.
Yes, these are fucked-up things for a kid to believe and yes, I had these thoughts frequently as a child. Even though there was absolutely no reality to them. I grew up in a very safe neighborhood in Washington, D.C., with a house that had, you know, doors that locked, with good parents, security of all kinds, and plenty of safety around me.
And yet, it was all the fear that felt truthful.
