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1 week ago | 
yearofmentalhealth.com | Chris Guillebeau
There are two ways of thinking about death. The most common is factually correct, but also somewhat removed from the person thinking about it:1. Everyone dies someday. The other way is much more personal:2. Someday, I will die. In Time Anxiety, I wrote about how thinking about death can help us to live better. Of course, it can also be scary and anxiety-inducing. So whatās the difference?
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2 weeks ago | 
yearofmentalhealth.com | Chris Guillebeau
You feel it before you can name it. You tell yourself to relax, but your body wonât listen. Your mind keeps spinning quiet disasters. Someoneâs mad at you, something bad is coming in the mail, someone is about to call with news that will change everything. Itâs not just anxietyâitâs prophecy. You know something is coming. The air even seems heavier, like a storm thatâs just barely out of view. Nothing has happenedâyet. But your body doesnât believe that. It remembers.
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3 weeks ago | 
yearofmentalhealth.com | Chris Guillebeau
Have you ever refused to turn around when you’re lost? Or continued down a failing path at work because starting over felt impossible? Perhaps you've stayed in a situation that wasn't serving you simply because you'd already invested so much time? If so, it’s not just you—it’s me, too! And presumably others of us. I recently learned about a fascinating psychological pattern called "doubling-back aversion" that explains this exact phenomenon.
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1 month ago | 
yearofmentalhealth.com | Chris Guillebeau
Creative people usually have no shortage of ideas of things theyād like to do. The greater challenge is: how do you know which ideas are worth pursuing, and which should be abandoned or just put on hold? Hereās one way: consider the amount of time you spend thinking about the idea, even as you go on to other parts of your life. I donāt just mean when you have an idea and you think about it a lot the same day.
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1 month ago | 
yearofmentalhealth.com | Chris Guillebeau
Time anxiety is the nagging feeling that time is passing you by, that there’s not enough time in the day, that there’s something you should be doing but you can’t quite put your finger on what it is. My hope is that by challenging some of your deeply-held assumptions, you can begin to break free from the distress that colors your days—and reclaim a sense of agency over your most precious resource. As we age, our perception of time fundamentally changes.
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1 month ago | 
yearofmentalhealth.com | Chris Guillebeau
I wrote Time Anxiety for everyone who feels like there’s not enough time. The book is now out and I’m traveling the country to meet readers! Tonight I’ll be live in Houstonat Brazo’s Bookstore (6:30pm). ⏳—In life, you are going to disappoint people. You will not be able to be everything to everyone. But it's not only that! You will also not be able to be everything to people you care about. You will try to be reliable and available, and sometimes you will fail.
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1 month ago | 
yearofmentalhealth.com | Chris Guillebeau
Reading this post by email? Click the picture above to watch a short video. šGreetings, friends and readers! My new book, Time Anxiety, is now out. šIf I was a better marketer, you would have already received a bunch of emails about it well in advanceābut Iāve been a little busy, and I donāt like sending too many messages anyway, so ā¦ here it is! šNo need to wait. The book is out NOW and available at your choice of retailers. * The book is out today in the U.S. and Canada.
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2 months ago | 
yearofmentalhealth.com | Chris Guillebeau
"I'm stuck in a situation that's comfortable but not fulfilling. I know a big change would probably be good for me, and I've read Chris's posts about how 'no one wishes they'd made a change later.' But I keep finding reasons to delay: I'm not ready, the timing isn't right, I need more security first. I've developed elaborate justifications for staying exactly where I am, even though I'm not thriving. How do you distinguish between legitimate caution and fear-based excuses?
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2 months ago | 
yearofmentalhealth.com | Chris Guillebeau
Last week I hosted an all-new event to bring together the neurodivergent community (broadly speaking) for a 3-day celebration in Austin, Texas. I always crash after an experience like this, and it takes me a while to process it all. But for now I’ll say: it was very, very special. I’m thankful to our all-volunteer team, our 30+ speakers, and everyone who made the trek to join in for our inaugural event.
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2 months ago | 
yearofmentalhealth.com | Chris Guillebeau
TLDR: Being uncomfortable is not the same as being unsafe. Avoid situations that are actually dangerous, but move in the direction of your discomfort. When I think about my early years of world travel, there are only a few times where I genuinely felt unsafe. Those arenât memories I care to relive, and overall I feel very fortunate to have been to all sorts of places that most travelers avoid: Libya, Syria, Somaliland, Afghanistan, and so on.