Woody Allen or Chuck Norris?

Listened to Terry Gross on public radio, an interview of author Scott Stossel on his new book My Age of Anxiety: fear, hope, dread and the search for peace of mind. Scott's book reviews the many anxieties in his life and the therapies and drugs he has used to battle against them. Scott mentioned a funny phobia-- turophobia, a fear of cheese. It's funny because I don't suffer from turophobia. But I do suffer from emetophobia, a fear of vomiting. Sorry about that... but it's true. I have not vomited, tossed beets, upchucked in about thirty years-- similar to the no-barfing track record of Scott Stossel.

Scott explained there is an anxiety spectrum-- going from the worriers, the most self-protective people, to the warriors, those most likely to encounter danger. So you got Woody Allen on the worrier end of the spectrum and Chuck Norris, the Army Rangers and Navy Seals on the warrior side of the spectrum. Must admit I am closer to Woody Allen.

Fear is a natural process, part of life, and talking about it helps unless you suffer from glossophobia-- a fear of public speaking. If that's your problem, I strongly recommend Toastmasters International, an organization I've been involved with since 1994.