About Here You Are, Courageous

“We want to know an extraordinary life without the prickling of fear, or the weight of uncertainty that comes along with it. We fight, and we flee, and we freeze, and we forget that this is what it means to be human.”

Navigating life with an anxiety disorder can seem impossible. From uncontrollable panic attacks to fear of normal bodily functions, obsessive thinking, chronic avoidance and ‘what-if’s’. When you have tried everything to feel normal again, only to feel worse than ever before, it’s hard not to lose hope.

We are told to fight our fears, to be stronger than our anxiety… but what if the attempt to ‘fix’ ourselves is only taking us further away from who we truly are? What if the way to feel better was to fully accept ourselves, anxieties and fears included?

For Lauren Rose, it was this realisation that saw her go from being housebound with agoraphobia and panic disorder to travelling, writing, dreaming, and living again. In Here You Are, Courageous, Lauren shares that you do not need to beat anxiety in order to reclaim your life. She candidly explores the landscape of anxiety, including the physical and emotional impact of living in body paralysed by fear; the urge to resist and avoid discomfort and the propensity to the familiar.

In these pages you will discover strategies to help you soften and become curious in the face of panic and distress. You’ll come to realise that:

· you can still contemplate adventure;
· connection, community, and courage are key to discovering purpose and
· embracing fear will help you cultivate a new relationship with yourself.

These are all equally important parts of the conversation. We cannot talk about anxiety without also talking about those who experience it. We cannot talk about fear without talking about courage, too.

Here You Are, Courageous is the invitation back to wholeness that we need now, more than ever.