It seems that for me and other certainty-craving people, the real problem might not be the ghoul hiding around the corner or the possibility of singing off-key at the karaoke bar, but our pessimism about how it’ll make us feel.

There will always be problems. This is life.

There are fears inside still. Sometimes, you can’t put your finger on it until you sit still and peel away some other, more obvious fears. I don’t consciously choose not to feel fear. I don’t believe that will ever happen. You feel what you feel, but you can choose how to react.

This is the magic of Irish... See more

Joan Halifax, a Buddhist meditation teacher and writer, says that when fear is powering our reactions, we typically adopt a hard front (the critical cynic) to hide a weak back (lack of confidence that we can survive). She proposes that we turn this around when things get difficult, aiming instead to cultivate a strong back but a soft front. Having... See more

We’re all scared, aren’t we? Scared of the unknown, of how we’re perceived, of the climate crisis, of raising children, of being judged for not wanting children, of putting ourselves out there, of failure, of death, of being totally honest, of trying new things, I could go on. I wonder what would happen if we were all allowed to just name how... See more