We have all heard about the benefits of goal setting - having a clear focus, optimizing time and resources - but have you ever heard about "fear setting"? In this 12 minute video, Tim Ferriss describes the process of fear setting, how to do it, and what it achieves. Taking anecdotes from his own life - his experiences of bipolar depression and what he has learned throughout these challenges - Ferriss says that the most valuable piece of information he wants to share is this: "The hard choices - what we most fear doing, asking, saying -- these are very often exactly what we most need to do. And the biggest challenges and problems we face will never be solved with comfortable conversations." With that being said, by taking a hard, detailed look at your fears - figuring out what they are, what the worst case scenario may be, how to prevent that from happening, and what it costs you if you let your fear control you - the hard choices and the hard times don't become "easy" per say, but they do become "easier" - and therein lies the power of fear setting.
Mental health conversations can be one of the most difficult conversations to begin. The fear of stigma and judgement can be paralyzing, and those are the most common reasons why people do not seek help. Next time this happens to you, take a closer look at the fear itself, and maybe, just maybe, the choice to talk or to seek help will become an easier choice to make.
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