Fear: A Powerful Guide to Overcoming Uncertainties and Personal Terrors, and Finding Peace and Freedom from Anxiety, by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

I stumbled upon this book after years of dealing with growing fear, anxiety and anger-related issues that were greatly impacting my private and professional life, robbing me of a good night's sleep and just plain making life miserable. When I bought this book, I was battling moderate depression that was transitioning to severe depression, I knew I had to act fast before it completely incapacitated me. I noticed in the comments that someone had recovered from a moderate depression and I had also heard talks by Thich Nhat Hahn online which attracted my interest with their 'unconventional' approach. I was ready to put any good advice into practice and not just for the short term.Not only was the mere reading of this book comforting and relieving for me, but the exercises it introduces helped me transform fear in an unconventional way. Though in the presence of intense emotions, perhaps even in a panic attack, my first reflex was to run, to find a way to escape, the exercises suggest meeting it head on - but not with aggression or in a challenging manner as proposed by some of the inevitably flawed techniques I have tried - but with compassion, curiosity and concern. Thich Nhat Hahn suggests that we observe our emotions, acknowledge them - even handle them with the concern we would for a crying baby through deep listening - and begin to work our way back into the present moment, back to ourselves.By sticking to the exercises in this book and filling my mind with good food for thought (reading more books on this subject, watching dharma by Thich Nhat Hahn on youtube), I moved from being consumed by despair, fear, frustration and the psychosomatic illness that accompanies it to being on the road to recovery. About four and half weeks after starting the book and encountering 'Thay's' approach to 'the art of suffering' I am working again at full capacity, sleeping through the night for over two weeks now, restoring harmony to my relationships and starting to enjoy life again, which is no small feat considering where I started only a month ago. I am also experiencing a clarity of mind that I have almost never experienced. As my back was up against a wall, I started practicing his exercises right away and multiple times every day in a gentle and cautious fashion. I believe that this and good food for thought were what got me back on track - without drugs or any other treatment of any kind.I have read many books on how to deal with fear, phobias and panic attacks, still my depression and anxiety continued to advance and cripple my life even further. I stumbled upon the books by Thich Nhat Hahn quite literally in my darkest hour. I hope that my story can give others in crisis and despair the hope to carry on. Barely a month after starting this book, I am largely restored, but still have a ways to go so I will be continuing to practice and to gain insight through introspection, mindfulness and reading more Thich Nhat Hahn not to mention others like him. As I regain my strength, I am compelled to share this experience to help others suffering like I did.

Thich Nhat Hanh is gifted in the way that he is able to share his thoughts about a tough subject in a calm, simple, easy to understand manner. Do not hesitate to get this book. I got this book because I was dealing with the aftermath of my first-ever panic attack several months ago. I have never pegged myself as being an anxious person, but I got anxiety and fearful thinking as a bonus after the ordeal.I was on a personal developmental journey the last year and a half, but the last few months was the real challenge. I had to rely on myself and build resilience on my own, even though I had a great support group of family and friends. It was one of those things that I knew deep down inside that whatever I did moving forward, I would have to walk this path alone. It was scary because I never relied on myself like that. In the beginning, it was riddled with self-doubt, anxiety, and a lot of fear.I was scared of the concept of 'death' from a very early age. I didn't understand it, and quite frankly, it's not a topic that is brought up at the dinner table. So, I never really got a chance to explore this concept. Not to get dramatic, but I thought I was dying when I had my panic attack. I had to peel a lot of layers to get to the very core of all my anxiety and fears, and that was due to the concept of death. I wanted to live my life powerfully, fearlessly, full of love and gratitude but it would be very short-lived. Paradoxically, to live well, one must also make friends and be at peace with death. This book artfully approaches this topic. There's one sentence in that particular chapter that empowered me like no other books I have read combined.The following day after reading 'Fear', I felt peace and contentment that I hadn't felt in a very long time. Of course, I still face moments from time to time where I feel anxious or fearful, but I am better equipped to handling those situations and as with anything in life, it takes practice to get better. I am eternally grateful that Thich Nhat Hanh imparted his wisdom.

It's easy to read and the content is helpful to me.