Stop Avoiding Stuff: 25 Microskills to Face Your Fears and Do It Anyway

This well written, easy to read book offers strategies on how to stop avoiding uncomfortable things. What it doesn't do effectively, in my opinion, is explain *why* you should stop avoiding uncomfortable things. Avoiding uncomfortable things seems like an important life skill. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that it's been one of the primary goals of my life. I do things I enjoy, and I don't do things I don't enjoy. Why is that a problem? Growth requires leaving your comfort zone, and leaving your comfort zone requires essential pain. It requires trying new things that you're not necessarily skilled at. Avoiding discomfort means avoiding growth. But maybe, legitimately, you're not seeking growth in a particular area. If the discomfort of the situation seems to exceed the potential enjoyment offered by it, then why not avoid the situation? For instance, some people are home bodies. If they don't want to go out and party, that's okay. So, overall, while I think the authors offer good strategies, they didn't spend enough time talking about when you should use them. They talked about how avoiding things that bother you can actually make you feel worse, and sometimes that's true. But sometimes it's an incredible relief to let go of things that aren't serving you. If you're avoiding something, maybe it's because that thing is not for you. If you feel like you've got a good handle on where you need to work on yourself, then this book is a good choice. You might end up consulting it over and over again as you work on different areas. If you need advice on how to determine what to keep and what to let go of, then that's beyond the scope of this book. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.