Quick Fixes for Everyday Fears: How to Manage Everything from Fear of Change to Fear of Flying

Diana Coholic is an assistant professor in the School of Social Work,
Laurentian University.

This easy-to-read book is aimed at helping people deal with everyday
fears, such as a fear of failure and fear of being alone. After
providing a general and brief description of fear and worry, the author
describes approximately 100 fears. This list includes general fears
(fear of change), physical fears (fear of spiders), fears of the ego
(fear of rejection), fears at home (fear of the dark), fears in social
settings (fear of people), fears at school (fear of teachers), and fears
at work (fear of the boss). Each of these fears is discussed in two
pages. The description includes characteristics of the particular fear,
some background, and some strategies for dealing with it. At the end of
the book, Clarkson briefly addresses serious worries (panic disorder,
post-traumatic stress, and generalized anxiety disorder).

Many of the strategies that Clarkson presents, such as “focusing on
the solution not the problem” and “facing one’s fears,” make
sense but may also be more successful and reasonable for people who have
an ability to self-analyze and put the suggestions into action. Also,
the material may help some people to understand and normalize their
anxieties. Thus, this book may be most useful for people who are already
coping fairly well with everyday living—people who have the resources,
resiliency, and cognitive capability to contemplate and adopt the
strategies offered in order to effect desired change.

Throughout the book, Clarkson encourages readers to seek out advice and
assistance from trained professionals, support groups, and others. As a
clinical social worker, I believe that this is important advice given
the deep-seated and unconscious nature of many people’s fears.