Is fear keeping you and your loved ones from truly living life? Do you often think about how to overcome fear? Though the adrenaline release that occurs through fear can be useful at times, it can also be horrible for your health when it happens too often. According to Forbes, more than 40 million Americans suffer from an anxiety disorder every year. And there are plenty of people out there who are never diagnosed. If you often undergo moments of panic, don’t let fear dictate your life. Learn how to overcome it by recognizing it and using it to your advantage when it sets in. Here are 11 books on how to overcome fear that will teach you how to do it. Before you know it, fearless will be your middle name.
Read Related: No-Fear Ninja: How to Conquer Your Worst Phobias
1. Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers
Jeffers, a psychologist, offers straight forward exercises that will help readers unlearn their misconceptions of fear and replace them with strength. She insists that fear is what you make of it and that in most cases it is unfounded.
2. Courage: Overcoming Fear and Igniting Self-Confidence by Debbie Ford
With a foreword by Wayne Dyer, this book by the New York Times best-selling author Debbie Ford offers personal and practical advice for overcoming insecurity and fear and unlocking the courage that resides within.
3. The Fear Project by Jaimal Yogis
Part memoir, part scientific investigation, here the award-winning journalist provides fascinating insight as to why fear can dominate our lives and ways we can use fear as an ally instead.
4. Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland
For a frustrated or blocked artist, fear is a cornerstone of those obstacles .This book explores not only how art gets made, but also how it doesn’t. It explores what stands in the way of the creative process and how to overcome it.
5. The Confidence Gap by Russ Harris
Through his personal experiences, Harris includes the stories about Nelson Mandela and Joe Simpson, climber and author of Touching the Void, along with a variety of techniques to help readers build up their confidence.
6. How to Cure Phobias and Fears: Dealing with Everything From Agoraphobia To Social Phobias by Paul White
Chock full of practical tools to help you with your anxieties, this book explains the difference between simple fear and panic, as well as the mental and physical effects phobias can have.
7. Conquering Fear: Living Boldly in an Uncertain World by Harold S. Kushner
The best-selling author teaches his readers to confront, master and embrace their fears in order to live a fulfilling life. Here, by tapping spirituality and philosophy, Kushner helps the fearful overcome their worries.
8. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie
“Those who don’t know how to fight worry, die young.” This is how Carnegie’s bestseller begins. It’s full of good old-fashioned common sense and illustrated with examples drawn from research on historical figures and interviews with business leaders.
9. Getting Over Stage Fright by Janes Esposito
Esposito, a public speaking guru, shows readers how to use your mind, body, and spirit to work with your fear of public speaking. This holistic guide aims at transforming you into a speaker who thrives in the spotlight and many say it works.
10. Freeing Yourself from Anxiety: 4 Simple Steps to Overcome Worry and Create the Life You Want by Tamar E. Chanksy
The founder and director of the Children’s Center for OCD and Anxiety penned a must-read for anyone who frequently suffers from the debilitating burden of paralyzing anxiety. A helpful tool for anyone who needs to overcome their tendency to focus only on the problems in their lives.
11. Fear and Faith: Finding the Peace Your Heart Craves by Trillia J. Newbell
In this book, a mom who is also a writer and a Christian, addresses fear and anxiety head-on and digs past the fear itself and into the very roots where fear is born for most women in today’s society.
