I hope I find you well this week! Today I want to talk to you about fear.

This quote is kind of a word salad, but it clearly hit a chord with everyone on Twitter.

So what does this quote mean? Let's pull out the ole dictionary and look up fear:

So if we fear suffering, fear in and of itself is an emotion that causes pain, thus suffering.

Our crippling fears are creating suffering in our lives.

Instead of fearing suffering, we need to acknowledge and embrace it.

Let's dig into what that means.

When you fear something, you're unwilling to acknowledge it or face it.

Those that are afraid of heights won't go on things that are high.

Those that are afraid of spiders will avoid them at all costs.

Those with social anxiety avoid social situations they can't predict.

It's natural to run away from fear. It's in our DNA.

But, when you can instead face your fears, you're able to open up your neural pathways just a little bit more. You make yourself more willing to face similar situations in the future.

So by ignoring or running from suffering, you're creating the pain you're trying to avoid.

So how can we healthily deal with suffering or pain in our lives?

We have a choice: we can withdraw and bury our emotions or we can allow them to flow.

When you stuff your emotions, you do not get to process them. When you don't process them, you have one of two outcomes.

You could allow it to build up and explode. This results in a total breakdown, upending of your life.

Or you've shut off the negative emotions so tightly that the positive ones go bye bye with them. It means you can't experience joy or happiness to its fullest extent.

Instead, we should lean into our emotions. We should allow ourselves to process them and seek help in doing so.

Whether that help is family, a friend or a therapist is a choice you will need to make.

Healthy handling of your pain and suffering leads to a healthy you.

I'm not an expert at this subject. If anything, I'm subpar at it. But as I've gotten older I've found it useful to express my emotions more. Some of you that know me well may laugh, but this is a soft Kurtis.

So, I encourage you, don't create suffering in your fear of suffering. Face your fear, embrace your pain, and be the better you.

Podcast update

This week I released a new podcast episode with 13 tips on spending less this Christmas season. I hope these are helpful to you as we go into a time of year when the average American spends $998 on gifts.

Don't succumb to our consumption society and instead rethink how you go about this holiday season.

Click the image below to give it a listen.

Question of the week

What is the most memorable Christmas present you've ever gotten?

Reply and I'll tell mine!